Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well

Synopsis

Raymond Blanc believes becoming a good cook is all about mastering the basic techniques. Raymond taught himself to be a Michelin star chef. But first, he had to understand what happens to food when you cook it different ways. Once you know what is happening when you roast, fry, poach etc then you can cook anything. After forty years of trial and error, Raymond wants to share what he has learnt. Each week he takes a different technique and shows five delicious dishes using that technique. The recipes range from simple to ambitious and Raymond delivers it all in his easy, warm, inimitable way.

First Air Date: 2013-07-09

Last Air Date: 2013-08-13

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 6

Networks: BBC Two

Top Cast

Raymond Blanc as Presenter

Seasons

Season 1 (2013)

Raymond Blanc believes becoming a good cook is all about mastering the basic techniques. Each episode he takes a cooking technique and shows how it can be used.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Slow Cooking (2013-07-09)

This first episode is all about slow-cooking, a great technique that has meltingly delicious results. See what happens to a tough cut of meat with his Asian flavoured beef shin with papaya salad and the fabulous merging of flavours with a squid and chorizo stew. But simplest of all is an amazing compressed apple terrine.
Ep. 2: Poaching (2013-07-16)

This episode is all about poaching - cooking in a hot liquid without boiling. Raymond loves it as a technique. It conserves and enhances flavours of delicate ingredients while keeping them in perfect shape. He starts his master class with a simple poached egg and tomato fondue, big tip, don't use an old egg! He shows how to cook one of his favourite dishes from home chicken with morel mushrooms cooked with the vin jaune wine from his Jura region. A delicious poached peach with peach granita is the mouth-watering dessert.
Ep. 3: Roasting (2013-07-23)

This episode is all about roasting; cooking in the dry heat of the oven using fat or oil to keep the surface of the food moist. For Raymond it is a technique that conjures up the wonderful smells of the kitchen at home. He starts his masterclass with the most traditional of British dishes, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Raymond cannot resist French trimming the beef, though. Roasting is a technique that can work well with a robust fish. Raymond shows how to do it with a piece of tasty turbot on a bed of fennel. For dessert, Raymond gets very excited as he perfectly trims a pineapple before roasting it whole for a spectacular finale.
Ep. 4: Baking (2013-07-29)

This episode is all about baking; cooking in the dry heat of the oven. Raymond loves the beautiful colours and flavours it gives food. But for him baking is for much more than bread and cakes, it is good for meats, cheese and even seafood. That is where he starts this show, with simple, delicious scallops baked in their own shells. Then there is an extraordinary salt baked leg of lamb that makes Raymond very happy and a double dessert treat: first a restaurant masterpiece, an exquisite pistachio soufflé with a bitter cocoa sorbet inside, then a crowd-pleasing flourless chocolate cake.
Ep. 5: Frying (2013-08-05)

In this episode Raymond Blanc explains frying - cooking in fat or oil. For Raymond it's a great quick technique that gives food a wonderful flavour, colour and texture. He starts with a simple French favourite, pan-fried pork chop on sauté potatoes, a dish he dedicates to his mum because she has cooked it so often. He conjures up a surprising stir-fried salad as a delicious alternative to the usual summer staple. His dessert is an incredible pan-fried Grand Marnier souffle with an orange sauce.
Ep. 6: BBQ & Grill (2013-08-13)

Raymond Blanc says that a good cook is one who understands the basic techniques of cooking. Raymond had to teach himself to be a Michelin star chef. He found out for himself what happens when you cook food in different ways. Now, after years of trial and error, Raymond wants to help us to cook well and become confident in the kitchen. Each week he takes a different technique and shows five delicious dishes using that technique. The recipes range from the simple to the ambitious. Raymond delivers them all with a passion and enthusiasm that belies his years at the top. This time he explains explains grilling, either on the stove or outside on the barbecue, where food is cooked on or over flames, glowing coals or hot bars. For Raymond, grilling is a simple method which can produce ambitious dishes. He skips between the stove in his restaurant kitchen and a barbecue in the vegetable garden.