What will happen when you have a French Chef in an avant garde kitchen?  No, the chef isn’t there to for photo-shoot with the designer kitchenwares.  However, you will have an extraordinary gastronomical time watching the chef whipping up delicious dishes!  I was at La Galerie De Dietrich with Chef Jeremy Choo to participate in an exciting cooking class where he will be showing us how to prepare two dishes and a dessert within two hours.

The first dish Chef Jeremy taught us was a fusion dish, his very own French-style tuna sashimi.  The tuna sashimi will be coated with roasted black pepper and white sesame complete with port-wine sauce and wasabi cream.  I’m a fan of sashimi and I can’t wait to taste how it will turn out to be.

It may sound like a simple dish but the condiments for the tuna sashimi each has to be prepared separately.  Over here, Chef Jeremy was preparing the wasabi cream sauce, which uses white wine, salt and pepper seasoning.  The grounded black pepper and white sesame have to be lightly roasted on a pan to enhance its flavour.  Then, the port-wine sauce which have a mixture of red wine vinegar, red wine and port wine.

If you’re sensitive to alcohol, not to worry, it will have been evaporated during the cooking process so everyone can enjoy this dish at home.

Slicing the tuna is no easy feat, as you will require some knowledge on the type of knife to use and the method of slicing it.  The knife got to be very sharp, clean and dry to execute a smooth and swift cut.  Otherwise, the meat of the fish may break and won’t look nice.

After slicing the tuna sashimi, coat it with the grounded black pepper and white sesame, spread the sauce on the dish and everything’s done!  The taste and texture of this dish was mind blowing as the sesame and black pepper gave it a mild, hot and smoky flavour with some crunchiness.  The sweet and lightly sour port-wine sauce complemented the fish very well and with the wasabi cream, I was totally lost for words.

After the excitement on my palate, I can’t wait for Chef Jeremy to prepare the next dish, Crayfish Thermidor, which is found in the French cuisine.

Preparing the Crayfish Thermidor may sound like a daunting task but it’s no challenge to Chef Jeremy who has more than 30 years of experience in French culinary.  He cuts off the shell of the crayfish and pulls out the pieces of tender meat out from right under so quickly.

The shell of the crayfish was send into the oven to bake as to use it as a garnish on the serving dish.

After the meat of the crayfish has been extracted out, he seasoned it with olive oil and pernod then send it to bake in the oven too.

Next, to prepare the cream sauce, he used minced garlic, shallot and sliced shitake mushroom, white wine, mustard and chicken stock.  The sauce should be slightly thicken and seasoned with salt or pepper to taste.

Once everything is ready, the spoon the sauce into the shell and lay the slice of crayfish on it.  Chef Jeremy then sprinkle some parmesan cheese and gratin it with a torch.

After all the garnishing, the beautiful, irresistible and mouth-watering Crayfish Thermidor can’t be any more tempting to feast on!  The succulent, sweet and juicy crayfish with the tasty sauce was a sheer delight for the senses and pure pleasure for the appetite.

How can a we not end on the sweet note?  Chef Jeremy will demonstrate how to prepare the Ganache.  I was beaming away when I heard the name of this luscious dessert, which hit right on my sweet spot.

To begin, the milk and cream has to be boiled while the egg yolks and sugar was whisked.  After the egg yolks are whisked, pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk till it thickens.

With the mixing bowl still simmering on the induction hob, add it dark chocolate, sugar and Tia Maria (or Kahlua) and continue mixing till the texture is thick and smooth.  At this point, you may add in different flavours of nuts into it.  Leave it in the fridge to refrigerate and use as you wish.

Chef Jeremy fried the Ganache balls and place it on a banana topped with caramel sauce and served with vanilla chocolate chip ice-cream.  It’s so heavenly to have the coldness from the ice-cream and the sexy hot chocolate flowing out from the Ganache ball.  

If you love to have a taste of Chef Jeremy’s culinary delights, you can sign up for the culinary classes with at La Galerie De Dietrich or visit his restaurant, Vis-a-Vis for value for money and quality French cuisine!  All these dishes he prepared for this cooking class are available on the menu of his cosy and charming restaurant.

Le Galerie De Dietrich is located at:

• The Cendex @120 Lower Delta Road
• #01-04, Singapore 169208

Opening Hours:

• Monday - Friday: 10:30am - 7pm
• Saturday: 10:30am - 6pm
• Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

Contact:

• Tel: +65 6508 4600
• Email: info@dedietrich.com.sg

* For more info about the cooking studio and classes at La Galerie De Dietrich, do visit their website.

** Special thanks to Ivy & LeRoy from Foodnews for the invite!