Back from India John Dory
It is the first dish through which I managed to totally express what I wanted to do as a chef. It is also my first spices blend. I paired it with a John Dory filet fished in the bay, I picked a cabbage in a field facing the sea, I added apple compote, and a bit of mango. And here it was, the essence of my cuisine.
A lot of people think that the Back from India powder was born after a trip. It is true in some way, if the trips you take in your imagination count! The idea to take advantage of the aromatic and historic richness of spices was born during a discussion with an academic. He was working on a thesis on the French East India Company and, amongst the silk, celadon and exotic woods that he was evoking, amongst the treasures that were brought back inside the walls of the city, he mentioned a list of 14 spices coming from the East and the New-World. In that moment, things fell into place. Finally, I had a way to tell the story of my country! I was going to create a spice blend that would focus on these faraway adventures that shaped Brittany. It would be the Back from India powder and I was going to pair it with products from my land, the John Dory and the cabbage. I dedicated this blend to one of my childhood heroes, Mahé de la Bourdonnais, who was the governor of the France and Bourbon islands in the 18th century, today Reunion Island and Mauritius. The blend is wonderful paired with all kind of fishes!
A lot of people think that the Back from India powder was born after a trip. It is true in some way, if the trips you take in your imagination count! The idea to take advantage of the aromatic and historic richness of spices was born during a discussion with an academic. He was working on a thesis on the French East India Company and, amongst the silk, celadon and exotic woods that he was evoking, amongst the treasures that were brought back inside the walls of the city, he mentioned a list of 14 spices coming from the East and the New-World. In that moment, things fell into place. Finally, I had a way to tell the story of my country! I was going to create a spice blend that would focus on these faraway adventures that shaped Brittany. It would be the Back from India powder and I was going to pair it with products from my land, the John Dory and the cabbage. I dedicated this blend to one of my childhood heroes, Mahé de la Bourdonnais, who was the governor of the France and Bourbon islands in the 18th century, today Reunion Island and Mauritius. The blend is wonderful paired with all kind of fishes!