The Cook and the Chef

Cooking in a Restaurant (3x34)

Fecha de emisión: Oct 15, 2008

When it comes to cooking with wine, Simon and Maggie follow the golden rule: "if you wouldn’t drink it, don't put it in your food!" As they both whip up delicious wine-based dishes, Simon also takes us behind the scenes of a busy hotel kitchen and Maggie shares her secrets for stress-free rabbit. This week's show kicks off with Simon deep in discussion with the Hotel's Maître d' Atef. Simon and Atef are looking at some changes in the menu and deciding on a corresponding change in the recommended wine match. As Simon tells us, wine recommendations can make or break a dining experience, so it's crucial that a wine either balances the flavours of a dish or contrasts with them in a playful way. Simon also shares his golden rule for cooking with wine: "if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t put it in your food!" Based on this principle, Simon uses a great red as the basis of a French classic, Coq au Vin, while Maggie uses a delightful sparkling white to give excitement to her Chicken Pie. As any home cook knows, it can be stressful trying to co-ordinate all the elements of a meal to be ready, hot and on the table at the right time – so imagine how Simon feels trying to co-ordinate all the elements of a busy Hotel kitchen! This week on the show he takes us behind the scenes and reveals that his Hotel employs a military-style Brigade system to ensure everything goes according to plan. He also shares the secrets of 'the pass' where the chefs finally hand over their food to the waiters, a place where Simon is often to be found on a busy Saturday night. Back in the kitchen Simon prepares an unusual wine-based dessert, sangria with burnt meringue, while Maggie shares her secret to getting a dinner party dish organised without stress: prepare a big pot which you can put in the middle of the table! This week it's rabbit, and Maggie tackles a classic recipe of mustard and prunes – but of course, with a signature Maggie twist. Recipes: - Chicken, Grape and Champagne