Elite Chef Recruitment

Platinum Recruitment – Feature of the Month Each month the team at Platinum Elite Chefs bring you an industry specific feature from one of the UK’s finest establishments. This Month’s feature: Mark Jordan – Executive Chef – The Atlantic Hotel - Jersey 3 AA Rosette 1 Michelin Star I’m proud to announce that Mark Jordan, Executive Chef at The Atlantic Hotel in Jersey has kindly provided Platinum Recruitments Elite Chef Division with the recipe, methodology and pictures for one of his signature dishes. Find out more about Mark in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Mark Where in the world are you from? I was born in a small town called Morfa Nefyn in North Wales but was brought up in the Midlands. Where have you previously worked? I started my career with the great Keith Floyd at the Maltsters Arms in Devon. I then left to become Sous Chef for Jean-Christophe Novelli at The Mill at Gordleton Hotel and Restaurant in Hampshire. I then moved to become Head Pastry Chef at Llangoed Hall, Sir Bernard Ashley’s hotel in mid Wales. Following that I was employed as Sous Chef at Congham Hall Hotel in Norfolk, after which I spent a short spell working at Rascasse, Simon Gueller’s restaurant in Leeds before I went to work with the Roux brothers in Amsterdam as Head Pastry Chef. I then returned to England and took up my first Head Chef position with the celebrity chef Steven Saunders at the Pink Geranium restaurant in Cambridgeshire. I was there for eight years. I then moved up north to become Head Chef at Gilpin Lodge Hotel near Windermere for a couple of years before jetting off to become Head Chef at The Atlantic Hotel in Jersey. Which chef influenced you the most? It would have to be Keith Floyd; no fashions, no gimmicks - just good well cooked food. What/where was your best ever meal? My best meal ever I would have to say was at the Ledbury last year. Brett Graham’s style and the thought he puts into his dishes is amazing so he quite rightly deserves his two star status. What’s your favourite cookbook? My favourite cookbook still has to be White Heat. It’s a great book that will always have a place on my book shelf. What would be your fantasy brigade? My fantasy brigade, well, that’s a question! It would have to be Michael Wignall, a great pastry chef; Eric Chavot, an all round great chef; Tony Pierce, my good friend from Knockinaam Lodge probably on fish; Rene Redzepi in the development kitchen and I would love to go back in time and have Keith Floyd back on the pass with me. What’s your favourite produce to cook with? My favourite produce to work with is pork belly - a really fantastic ingredient that is very versatile. If you could go anywhere where would you go on a stage? Peter Gilmore at Quay in Sydney. I love his style and ethos. If you weren’t a chef what would you be? Well, I became a chef by default as I originally wanted to study animation but because of certain situations at school I was unable to gain the qualifications to get on to an animation course. What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? My advice to any young person coming into catering is to make sure that it really is what you want to do as it takes up all of your personal life, family times and celebration times such as Christmas, Bank Holidays etc. However, when you do work hard and become successful in the catering industry it can become very rewarding and interesting. Mark is extremely busy at the moment with the opening of his new restaurant ‘Mark Jordan at the Beach’, the launch of his first book ‘Mark Jordan's Ocean Voyage’ and not to mention running his renowned Michelin Star restaurant, with so much on I’d like to say a big thank you for taking the time to talk to us. For more information on Mark Jordan and The Atlantic Hotel check out the Hotels website:- www.theatlantichotel.com If you would like to order Mark’s book visit www.chefmagazine.co.uk/Products/27/57/Ocean-Voyage.html Why not recreate Marks Pan-roast fillets of sole dish Enjoy!! See you next month Andy Pan-roast Fillets of Sole with Crab-crushed Jersey Royals and Sauce Grenoble Ingredients Dover sole 3 x 450g Dover soles, skinned Sauce Grenoble 100g gherkins 100g baby capers 1 squeeze lemon juice 1 handful parsley, chopped Crab-crushed Jersey Royals 450g Jersey Royals Vegetable oil 50g butter Juice of 1 lemon 100g fresh white crab meat Salt and pepper 1 handful chives, chopped Fish Velouté/foam 1 shallot 1/2 bulb garlic Vegetable oil 1 sprig thyme 4-5 button mushrooms. sliced 1 vanilla pod 125ml medium white wine 125ml dry vermouth 950ml fish stock 300ml double cream Juice of 1/2 lemon Salt, to taste Bread croutons Ingredients 1/2 fresh white loaf 475ml vegetable oil 100g butter Salt Parmesan cheese To serve 10-12 caper berries Basil cress Method Dover sole Fillet the sole by running a sharp flexible knife down each side of the sole’s backbone and slowly removing the flesh from the bone using delicate strokes of the knife. Flip over the sole and do the same again for the underside. Trim the sole, removing any straggly bits. Lay one fillet of sole in front of you on a chopping board – you will notice there is a thick end and a thin end. Lay another fillet on top of the first fillet the opposite way thick end to thin and repeat this three times – there should be in total six pieces of fillet stacked on top of each other. While the sole is stacked skewer two fillets together with cocktail sticks, using six in total. Roll each pair over and trim the ends square and then cut in half – that will be your first two portions, now the same with the remaining fillets. Place in the fridge to chill. Sauce Grenoble Chop the gherkins into small dice and mix with the capers. Add the lemon juice and parsley and reserve. Crab-crushed Jersey Royals Preheat the oven to 170°C. Wash and place the potatoes into a pan of salted water and slowly bring them up to the boil. Once the potatoes are cooked remove them from the water and store in the saucepan. In a large sauté pan heat up a little oil, to this add the Dover sole stacks and gently colour until golden brown on one side. Remove from the pan and place into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place back in to the pan with the oil. Add a good knob of butter and squeeze of the lemon juice, baste the butter over the sole and leave for a minute. Using a fork crush the potatoes and add the remaining butter, remaining lemon juice, crab meat, salt and pepper, and chives. Fish Velouté/foam Peel and slice the shallot and garlic and add to a saucepan with a few drops of vegetable oil and gently fry without colouring. Add the thyme and the mushrooms. Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways and add the pan. Pour in the wine and the vermouth and reduce until the liquid is syrupy. Pour the fish stock into the pan and bring to the boil then reduce by two-thirds. Add the cream and the lemon juice and again bring the sauce up to the boil. Adjust the seasoning with the salt and pour through a fine sieve. Bread croutons Slice the bread into 0.5cm thick slices and remove the crust with a sharp knife. Cut the bread into 0.5cm long strips and then cut the strips into 0.5cm dice. Place the oil into a thick-bottomed pan and heat it up, place one dice of the bread into the oil to see if the oil is hot enough – the crouton should fry quickly and turn brown. Remove this crouton from the oil and then add the others and keep stirring them around while they fry. Once the croutons turn brown, turn off the heat, add the butter and stir again. Pour the oil and the croutons into a fine sieve and drain well. While the croutons are hot season with a little salt and grate over the cheese. Set aside until required. To serve Place a metal ring in the centre of each serving dish and half fill with the hot potatoes, pressing them down thoroughly. Remove the metal ring and gently place a portion of sole on top of the potato. At this point gently twist and pull out the cocktail sticks. Heat up the sauce and spoon some over the sole. Using a hand blender foam the fish veloute and also spoon some over the dish. Garnish with a few caper berries, the croutons and cress, and serve. If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Mark Jordan send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk

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