Executive Chef Jean-Claude Crouzet of L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif at the Loews Hôtel Le Concorde in Quebec, Canada graciously shares his recipes for Filet of Veal Napoleon with Provolone, Tapenade Cream with Tarragon & Herb Polenta; Crostini de Pied de Vent Cheese Marinated in Ice Wine, with Mach, and Edible Flower Petals; and Chevre and Ice Wine Ice Cream with Cranberries. However, to appreciate the stunning, panoramic views from L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif, the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the Loews Hôtel Le Concorde, you will need to visit Québec. Bon Appetit! 

I had the opportunity to meet with Executive Chef Jean-Claude Crouzet and get to know his culinary philosophy while I was having dinner at the restaurant in August 2011. This dynamic and very charming award-winning chef graduated from culinary school in Nice, France and made his mark honing his career at the 2-star Michelin restaurant Le Petit Nice in Marseilles, France. From Nice, he traveled to Canada, and worked at the Panoramic Point of Vue Restaurant at the Sheraton in Montreal for almost 8 years, where he was the first and youngest chef. He later opened  his own restaurant, followed by working as the Executive Chef at Le Serge Bruyère in Québec, before joining the Loews Hôtel Le Concorde in 1999 where he is the Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director. 

Chef Jean-Claude Crouzet 

When not busy dreaming up new recipes for the restaurant, Executive Chef Jean-Claude Crouzet likes to run, rollerblade, ski, and has a daily French-language radio cooking show on CFOM-FM (102.9 FM) where he provides recipes, and on his Friday show, he talks about pairing wine with the recipes.

Executive Chef Jean-Claude Crouzet graciously shares his recipes for a three-course menu. Bon Appetit!

The Menu

Filet of Veal Napoleon with Provolone, Tapenade Cream with
Tarragon & Herb Polenta
Crostini de Pied de Vent Cheese Marinated in Ice Wine,
with Mache, and Edible Flower Petals
Chevre and Ice Wine Ice Cream with Cranberries

Filet of Veal Napoleon with Provolone, Tapenade Cream with Tarragon & Herb Polenta

Ingredients for 4 persons:

Method: Grind the ingredients for the tapenade together to form a paste.

Cook polenta in 1 ¾ cups (400 ml) of boiling poultry broth, sprinkle with corn flour, and add salt and pepper. Lower temperature and let simmer while stirring constantly. Watch out for splatter. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Add fresh herbs and 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of the chopped provolone. Spread on a plate and set aside.

Fry veal filets in previously seasoned butter. Bake at 350 ° F (177 °  C) for 15 minutes until meat is pink. 

Presentation: Cut veal into 2 centimeter-thick escalopes. Stack pieces in the center of the plate, alternating veal, slices of provolone and polenta. Garnish with vegetables of your choice.

Method for the Sauce: In a small pot, add the cream, the demi glace, and some freshly ground pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tapenade and fresh tarragon. Infuse for a few minutes, and then coat meat. Garnish with some diced tomatoes.

Crostini de Pied de Vent Cheese Marinated in Ice Wine, with Mache, and Edible Flower Petals

Ingredients for 4 persons:

Method: Cut a small baguette lengthwise or cut longer a baguette in half widthwise, and then cut the baguette into four pieces. Grill each slice for 5 minutes before serving. 

Method: Cut the Pied de Vent cheese into thinly slices strips, marinate for 24 hours in the Ice Wine, and store in the refrigerator.

Place the crostinis on a baking sheet, drain and reserve the ice wine marinade, arrange the cheese on the crosintis, pre-heat the oven to 200 ° F (93 ° C) for 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, reduce the ice wine marinade and the balsamic vinegar. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Sauté the chanterelles in the olive oil and season. Remove from heat, and set aside. 

Dress the plate with the mâche, and the chanterelles. Mix the olive oil with the reduced vinegar and ice wine and serve as an accompaniment. Finish grilling the crostinis in the overn.

Presentation: Add the crostinis to the plate, garnish with the edible flower petals, and drizzle with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and ice wine vinaigrette. 

Chevre and Ice Wine Ice Cream with Cranberries

Ingredients for 2 liters of Ice Cream: 

Method:  Marinate the dried cranberries in ice wine for 24 hours to soften.

In a saucepan, add 2 ½ cups (600 ml) of milk and the Chèvre des neiges (a mild goat cheese from the Quebec region), and heat to just below the boiling point to incorporate the cheese.

Beat the egg yolks and the maple sugar with a whisk until light in color. Add a small amount  to the egg mixture and beat. Slowly add the egg mixture to the hot milk, taking care to not let the mixture boil, which will curdle the egg yolks.

Remove the milk from the heat, add the marinated cranberries, stirring to combine, and let the mixture cool. Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and process. Bon appétit!

L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif 

L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif  is open for Breakfast Monday through Saturday from 6 :30 am until 10 :30; Sunday Brunch from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm; Lunch Monday through Saturday from noon until 3:00 pm, Dinner Sunday through Friday from 6:00 pm until 10:45 pm, and on Saturday from 5:45 pm until 10:45 pm. There is live Jazz music Friday and Saturday evenings.

Loews Hôtel Le Concorde Québec 

Read about L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif in the Restaurants section and in the Chefs' Recipes section where Chef Exécutif Jean-Claude Crouzet provides the recipes in French.

L'Astral Bar-Restaurant Rotatif
Loews Hôtel Le Concorde Québec
1225 Cours du General-De Montcalm
Québec, (Québec), G1R 4W6
Canada
Telephone:   +1-418-780-3602
Fax:              +1-418-647-4710
Email:           This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website:      www.LoewsHotels.com/en/Restaurants/L-Astral

Read other articles on Québec, Canada in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, and Spas sections.

For more information on Québec, Canada please visit the websites: www.QuebecRegion.com, and www.BonjourQuebec.com.

© September 2011. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com  All rights reserved.