Series 2 restaurateurs
Cooking with Raymond
Chopping herbs
Raymond shows how best to chop herbs without bruising them.
Raymond shows how to chop herbs without bruising them.
More recipes
Pesto sauce
Pesto is an Italian favourite and has a lesser known French cousin, pistou. The main difference is pine nuts - which are used in the Italian version and not in the French.
You'll need a blender for this recipe.
Fricassée of wild mushrooms
Aged seven, I used to follow my father into the deep forest of my native French Comté to find wild mushrooms. What magic!
Use the best mushrooms you can find for this rewarding, easy dish.
Raymond's chocolate mousse
This is one of the best chocolate mousses, certainly the lightest, and comes straight from the repertoire of 'Maman Blanc'.
Use 70% cocoa solids for the best chocolate experience!
Mussel and Saffron Risotto
An excellent little dish, which demonstrates why these two classic flavours work well together!
Cockles, clams, scallops, organic prawns or lobster may be substituted for mussels.
Raymond's Croque Monsieur
A Club Sandwich with a Parisian twist.
Fill your bread with Gruyere cheese, Jambon de Paris, and Dijon mustard for an experience that is both redoutable et incroyable.
Smoked Haddock Beignets
A light and delicate alternative to fish and chips, this is delicious as a canapé.
You could forego the marinade and just used smoked haddock. Or use another fish in its place.
Steak Maman Blanc
The best steak in the world, cooked the way my Mother would do it. These great women cooks knew how to pan-fry meat and create the most delectable juices by using a very simple medium - water.
Maman Blanc soup
A truly wholesome and wonderfully delicious peasant soup. It combines all the fresh vegetables in a broth providing many valuable nutrients.
You can use as many or as few vegetables as you wish!
Cheese omelette
Using three fresh eggs and either Comte or Gruyere cheese, Raymond makes the perfect cheese omelette.
This is a classic lunch time meal in France, washed down with a glass of red wine.
Tomato sorbet
A refreshing summer sorbet which can be served as a starter or appetizer, or in the middle of a multi-course meal.
You'll need a blender and ice cream maker to make this sorbet!
Rhubarb sorbet
Rhubarb has a long history as a medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine, but has only been used as a food since the 17th century after affordable sugar became widely available.
Roast loin of pork stuffed with prunes
This Sunday dish uses the classic combination of fruit with pork – two ingredients which love each other. Like all great home-cooking, this recipe doesn't use stock.
Fish soup with aioli sauce
A fish soup using grey mullet and gurnard from the Atlantic.
You will need a fine sieve, 30cm Ø casserole to make this dish. A liquidiser is optional.
Background
Owner and chef at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, a two Michelin starred restaurant in Oxfordshire, and of Brasserie Blanc, a chain of restaurants around the country, Raymond's aim has always been to bring the French philosophy of "good food being central to good living" to Britain.
I come from a very peasant, rural part of France. Though we didn't have much we ate like kings. One person who has been truly influential in my life has been Maman Blanc.
Raymond Blanc
Raymond recalls his family roots
Born in Besançon, France in 1949, Raymond Blanc is acknowledged as one of the finest chefs in the world. His exquisite cooking has received tributes from every national and international guide to culinary excellence.
Raymond arrived in England in 1972 to work as a waiter at the Rose Revived Restaurant near Witney. When the chef became ill, he took over and two years later the restaurant gained entry into the Michelin Guide.
At the age of 28, Raymond opened his first restaurant, Les Quat' Saisons in Summertown, Oxford. After just one year, the restaurant was named Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year and a host of other accolades including Michelin Stars and Pestle & Mortar awards followed.
It was in 1984 that he fulfilled a personal vision, creating a hotel and restaurant in harmony when he opened Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, Oxford. Le Manoir is the only country house hotel in the UK which has achieved two Michelin Stars for a total of 22 years.
Passionate about sharing his knowledge, in 1991, Raymond established his eponymous Cookery School, welcoming both enthusiastic amateurs and professional cooks to the kitchen. The school provides the opportunity to develop their skills while learning some of Raymond’s own kitchen secrets. Raymond has also written a host of best selling cookery books.
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