Swiss Chef Olivier Rais of Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar at the Baur au Lac in Zurich, Switzerland tempts the palate with his recipes for Tuna Tartar with Citrus Zest and Ginger, Red Wine Risotto with Radicchio, Simmental-Style Beef, Mediterranean Mélange of Vegetables, and Crème Brûlée.

Passionate, creative, talented, and fun loving are the words that best describe Chef Olivier Rais, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in April 2009 while I was in Zurich. Hailing from Vernes, Jura, which is the French speaking part of Switzerland, we sat in the Rive Gauche Bar in the early afternoon, speaking French, and sharing culinary stories. 

Chef Oivier Rais honed his culinary craft that began with an apprenticeship in Noirmont, and continued with stints around Switzerland at the prestigious Baur au Lac in Zurich, and later in Davos, Wallisellen, and Urdorf, before managing his own restaurant for five years with his wife. Although having your own restaurant may sound like a dream and does allow for a certain level of freedom and creativity, it is also a hard balancing act between chef creativity and having to deal with the business details, a task that is often daunting for chefs who prefer artistry to finance. He returned to the Baur au Lac in 2001 as a sous chef and has progressed up the ranks to hold the title of Chef de Cuisine of the Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar.

Chef Olivier Rais 

What he loves about being a chef is the diversity of the profession, that each day in the kitchen is different with its own challenges and its own rewards. He loves creating new recipes and explaining his ideas to his team, and that cuisine is a like a voyage that is ever changing.

Talking about the seasons, he said that he loves spring and fall for their bounty of riches, from chanterelle and morel mushrooms, truffles, and venison, and was rhapsodic about the asparagus season, especially the white asparagus, of which I too, am a fan.

When not working in the kitchen and creating new recipes, he enjoys being at home with his wife and 2-year old daughter, working in his garden, and relaxing with a good cigar and a glass of red wine.

The Menu

Tuna Tartar with Citrus Zest and Ginger
Red Wine Risotto with Radicchio
Simmental-Style Beef
Mediterranean Mélange of Vegetables
Crème Brûlée

Tuna Tartar with Citrus Zest and Ginger

Ingredients for 2 Persons:

Method: Coarsely chop the tuna, and finely chop the ginger. Mix the tuna with ginger, orange zest, lemon zest, and lime zest. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Form the tartar into rounds and garnish with watercress.

Barolorisotto with Radicchio

Ingredients for 2 Persons:

Method: Finely chop the shallots. Finely chop the radicchio. Heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots until translucent. Add the rice and cook until translucent, then add half of the red wine, stirring constantly until absorbed, add the vegetable broth and cook for approximately 17-18 minutes until absorbed, rice will be still be somewhat firm. Add the rest of the red wine, and cook until rice is tender. Stir in the Parmesan Reggiano and butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the radicchio and garnish with the watercress.

Simmental-Style beef

Ingredients for 2 Persons:

Method: Season the beef with the fleur de sel, brush with olive oil and grill. Keep warm. Serve with a sauce and garnish with watercress.

Mediterranean Mélange of Vegetables

Ingredients for 2 Persons:

Method: Wash the vegetables and marinate with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Grill the vegetables for 8 minutes.

Crème Brûlée

Ingredients for 2 Persons:

Method: Heat, but do not let boil, the cream, milk, and fruit puree. Mix the egg yolk and sugar together. Add a little of the warm milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and stir well. Pour this mixture into the rest of the warm milk and cook until mixture thickens slightly. Pass the mixture through a sieve. Pour into crème brûlée dishes and poach in a steamer. Let cool and then refrigerate. Just before serving, sprinkle with raw sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch (or under a broiler). Garnish with the berries and mint.

Read other articles on the Baur au Lac in the Restaurants section and in the Chefs' Recipes section where Chef Olivier Rais provides a delectable taste of the Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar in German and in French.

Rive Gauche Restaurant and Bar
Baur au Lac
Talstrasse 1
8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Telephone:     +1-41-44220-5020
Fax:               +1-44-220-6044
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.BaurauLac.ch 

Read other articles on Zurich, Switzerland in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, and Chefs' Recipes, and Travel News sections.

Read other articles on Switzerland in the Destinations section: (Zurich), Bern, Interlaken, and Lucerne; Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, Spas; in the Liquor Cabinet section: Swiss Vodka - The Art and Science, and Xellent Swiss Vodka, in the Wine Cellar section: Domaine Zweifel - The Art of Making Swiss Wine, and Lattenberg Rauschling 2005, in the Gastronomy section: 15th Annual St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, Emmental - The Art of Making Swiss Cheese, and Gastronomic Evening with Guest Chef Emmanuel Renaut, in the Luxury Products section: Confiserie Sprungli, and in the Adventures section: 24th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow in St. Moritz, Skiing in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Snowshoeing in Arosa, Switzerland, Skiing in Arosa, Switzerland, Hiking Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, Hiking Mount Pilatus, Switzerland, Paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland, and Porsche 911 Carrera S Driving Experience.

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For information on Switzerland, please visit the website: www.MySwitzerland.com. For information on Zurich, please visit the website: www.Zuerich.com.

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