Alain Ducasse's masterclass recipes
Fillet of red mullet, courgettes and tapenade
SERVES 4
red mullet fillets (tails on) 4
courgettes 6, medium
basil 3 sprigs
olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
tapenade (see below) 2 tbsp
thyme 1 small sprig
garlic 1 clove
For the tapenade, makes 200g:
black olives 150g
garlic ½ a clove
salted anchovy fillet 1
basil leaves 5
capers 1 tbsp
olive oil 100ml
Get your fishmonger to fillet 4 red mullet weighing 200-250g, and ask him to leave the tails attached. Check for bones and keep cold.
To make the tapenade, pit the olives with a small knife. Peel the garlic and if there is a central germ sprout, remove it. Rinse the salted anchovy fillet well under the tap and remove the bones. Roughly chop the basil leaves. In the bowl of a blender, combine the olives, garlic, anchovies, basil and capers. As you blend, gradually add the olive oil until you have a smooth but slightly lumpy paste. Store in a cold place.
Wash and dry the courgettes. Cut them in half lengthwise then slice each half into long strips with a mandoline slicer, losing the pips from the middle.
Wash and dry the basil, take off the leaves and crush them.
Heat a drop of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the courgette strips for 1 minute. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper then add the crushed basil and 2 tablespoons of tapenade, mixing very gently.
Put on the oven grill.
Salt and pepper the inside of the mullet fillets, then lay them on a baking tray. Break up a small sprig of thyme on top. Slide the baking tray under the grill for 1 or 2 minutes.
Peel 1 garlic clove and rub four plates with it. Arrange the courgettes on the plates and place 1 mullet on each.
Give a generous twist of black pepper and serve immediately.
Pan-fried summer fruits
SERVES 4
apricots 2
nectarines 2
cherries 2 handfuls
yellow or white peaches 2
strawberries 1 punnet
olive oil 1 tbsp
honey 1 tbsp
vanilla pod 1
thyme 1 sprig
raspberries 1 punnet
Wash the apricots, nectarines and cherries. Peel the peaches. Rinse and de-stalk the strawberries.
Cut the apricots, nectarines and peaches in half and remove their stones. Cut each half-fruit into wedges. De-stalk the cherries and remove their stones, too.
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil, honey, the vanilla pod and the sprig of thyme. Cook gently until the honey is lightly caramelised. Add the fruits, stir them delicately to coat with this caramel and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Take out the sprig of thyme and the vanilla pod. Tip the contents into a serving dish or distribute into fruit bowls. Sprinkle the contents of 1 punnet of raspberries on top. Serve warm.