Coronavirus or not, there is no question of compromising on the quality of ready-to-go dishes in the restaurant Le Réverbère, in Rouen. The chef ensures that his customers feast on good traditional recipes, despite and despite the health crisis.
“ It’s not cooked enough there. “ José Rato does not lose sight of the applied gestures of his assistant cook. On the menu at Réverbère this week, a cream of mushroom soup or fish mousse as a starter and, as a main dish, a sweetbread with asparagus or cod with spicy butter. “ I also make a veal stew because people like it “, adds the Rouen chef, who does not yet know what he will offer his customers next week. “ Everything will depend on the products I find. “
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“ Morel nuts “
For now, fans of the restaurant must do without the flagship mushroom of spring, to the chagrin of José Rato. “ I’m crazy about morels but I didn’t find one, alas ! I saw it last week at the MIN (Editor’s note: Market of national interest) but it was Turkish morel. However, I only make French products. “
It’s also the mantra of the lamppost leader: “ I define my cuisine first and foremost by the raw material. Do not use bad products whose mediocrity will be camouflaged with spices or other devices. “ Rouen’s second leitmotif: authenticity. There is nothing that irritates him as much as “ the bling bling on the plate “. For José Rato, “ the fish is cooked with the bones and the meat with the bone. Real cooking is reduced sauces, it’s simmering, it’s not for busy people “ This quest for traditional flavors does not prevent him from adding his “ grain of madness “ for recipes, like when it replaces egg yolks with foie gras butter in a veal stew. An approach “ halfway between the past and the present “ which appeals to customers, delighted to savor the Reverberation dishes despite its closure for an indefinite period.
“What’s going on we have to adapt to it”
On this unprecedented situation, the 65-year-old chef casts a lucid but not disillusioned eye. “ From my birth in Portugal until today, there have always been galleys. What is happening today is very serious, but we can and must adapt to it. “ After the amazement and worry of the first weeks of confinement, José Rato quickly rolled up his sleeves. “ I reopened the restaurant during the fourth week to offer take-out food to my customers, in beautiful bamboo packaging. I could not see myself using plastic trays, my customers would not have appreciated. And it works well. We managed to double our turnover in three weeks. ”
The chef also owes the success of his spring menu to “ the precious help of Roger Granger, the greatest pastry chef “. This friend comes every week to transmit a sweet recipe to José Rato’s apprentices. “ Last week, he made us his strawberry macaroon. This week, he showed us the recipe for the Opera cake. “
According to José Rato, the future may be uncertain but it is not bleak. “ You have to know how to reinvent yourself. Take-out has saved us and it’s a practice perfectly suited to the most popular dishes. During the last Christmas celebrations, I made 20 % of my turnover thanks to take-out meals. I’ve always done it and I will do more in the future. This is certainly another way of working compared to what we were doing before. What needs to be done, in my opinion, is simple and well presented things. “
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Restaurant Le Réverbère. 5, place de la République in Rouen. Take-away sales from Thursday to Saturday – noon and night – and Sunday at noon. Phone. 02 35 07 03 14. Mail : jose.rato @ wanadoo.fr.
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Asparagus, star of spring
In this spring season, the chef of Réverbère gives pride of place to green asparagus cultivated in France, which he likes to make a velouté
“ with incomparable taste “. His secret? To his asparagus cream, he adds a maltese sauce, which is none other than a hollandaise sauce made with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice, decorated with zest and orange juice.
“ I put this asparagus soup on the bottom of the plate, then I put my sweetbread in it, which I garnish to finish with small wild asparagus “, José Rato explains with delight.
For neophytes, he recommends browning the green asparagus cut into small pieces in olive oil, seasoning them with a little salt and pepper and then moistening them with chicken broth or, failing this, the water in which we have plunged a little ham.
“ Then leave to cook for about ten minutes before adding a little bit of fresh cream. As soon as it boils, we emulsify, and it’s ready ! “ For a meticulous presentation, the chef suggests sprinkling this velouté with a few croutons, strips of smoked ham and small asparagus, finely chopped or in mirepoix.
“ We put that in a deep plate and life is good ! “
Another recipe idea accessible to any beginner:
“ Cook the green asparagus in salted water. Prick them after about five minutes to check their doneness and as soon as they are cooked, put them flat on a plate and drizzle with a small vinaigrette. “
More experienced cooks may try to replace the dressing with a Maltese sauce. To do this, melt 125 g of butter over very low heat and then, in another pan, whisk two egg yolks with a tablespoon of water and the same amount of lemon juice. On low heat, it is then important to whip this last preparation until it becomes slightly creamy. Then incorporate the butter, for a smooth and homogeneous result. The last step is to be carried out just before serving the asparagus: after squeezing a beautiful orange and removing the zest, the fruit juice is reduced by a third over very low heat. To this juice, you must then add the orange zest and then incorporate this preparation into the prepared hollandaise sauce. This sauce can be reserved at room temperature one hour before the meal but cannot be kept beyond. It will perfectly enhance a dish of asparagus, but also steamed artichokes or poached eggs.
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