Laurent Rigal :

NF & Friends

Laurent Rigal,
Nicolas Feuillatte Chef Ambassador

Passionate about cooking since he was a child, it was after meeting Paul Bocuse in 1997 that Laurent Rigal joined the team at "L'Alexandrin” in Lyon, which he bought in 2007. He was awarded his first Michelin star a year later.

Laurent Rigal offers a classic cuisine, reinterpreted in a modern way with a focus on spices.

Today, we are proud that Laurent Rigal is one of the Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Chef Ambassadors. As part of our collaboration, he has developed a menu to match our champagnes.

Interview

Meet
Laurent Rigal

His experience? His “guilty pleasure” dish? His favourite Nicolas Feuillatte champagne? We interviewed Chef Laurent Rigal to find out more.

Recipe

Volaille de Bresse ballotine with morels

Chef Laurent Rigal reveals his recipe for "Bresse ballotine with morels, aubergine caviar, tomato confit, basil, glazed chilled green asparagus with a rich jus". A dish designed to accompany our Collection Organic Extra-Brut.

Volaille de Bresse ballotine with morels -
Collection Organic Extra-Brut

For 6 people

For the chicken:

One Volaille de Bresse (about 1.5 kg)
2 chicken breasts
200 g morels
75 cl of 35% cream
Salt / Voatsiperifey Pepper

Rich jus :

Bresse chicken carcass + trimmings
500 g veal trimmings
Aromatic garnish: 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1/2 leek (white part only), 1/3 celery stalk, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 4 sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, parsley/chervil stems, etc. 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp juniper berries, 1 tsp Espelette pepper, 1 tsp Voatsperifery pepper, 3 cloves, 20 ml cognac

Aubergine caviar :

2,5 kg of aubergines
3 cloves of garlic
30 ml olive oil
Juice of a lemon
Salt / Muntok Pepper

Cherry tomato confit with basil:

18 cherry tomatoes on the vine
Olive oil
1 clove of garlic
The stems of a bunch of Basil
1 sprig of thyme
Salt

Glazed green asparagus :

6 green asparagus
500 g ice
25 g de butter

Preparation

Stuffing: Blend the chicken breasts and morels, and when the mixture is consistent, add the cream at 40°C until you obtain a smooth texture.

Ballottines:

Cut off the breasts and legs, skin them, bone the legs, and pound them to even out the thickness.
Place each piece of Bresse on cling film and season.
Pipe a 1.5 cm diameter tube of stuffing in the direction of the fillet.
Roll tightly into a ballottine.Mettre sous vide cuisse et blanc séparément.
Vacuum seal the leg and breast separately.
Cook the breasts for 60 minutes at 60°C. Cook the legs for 120 min at 70°C.

Rich jus:

Brown the meat strongly at 160°C in the oven on a rack with a baking tray underneath to catch the fat.
At the same time, sweat the aromatic garnish in a rondeau pan.
Transfer the meat to the rondeau and flambé with cognac.
Add water to the mixture, bring to the boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Skim the scum from the surface.
Cover and cook over a low heat for at least 3 hours.
Strain the jus, reduce until syrupy and silky, bind with the roux. Season to taste.

Chef's tip: Replacing the butter in the roux with the meat fat recovered from the baking tray when the meat is coloured will strengthen the flavour of your sauce.

Aubergine Caviar:

Preheat the oven to 240°C. Put the aubergines in the oven whole. Burn all the sides.
Prick the aubergines. Wrap them in aluminium foil and bake them in the oven at 150°C for 40 minutes.
Remove the flesh from the aubergines. In a blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth. Season to taste. Serve hot.

Tomato confit:

Put the tomatoes in a dish. Cover with olive oil and add the herbs. Season to taste.
Bake at 150°C for 10 minutes.

Glazed chilled green asparagus:

Prepare the asparagus by trimming the fibrous part and peeling the bottom
Boil in water for 4 min
Serve chilled with a sauce made from beurre monté and unreduced jus

Chef's tip: Add the asparagus trimmings and a little burnt aubergine skin to the aromatic garnish of the jus to create a rheological link between the sauce and the garnish.