The first day of the international competition between chefs from 6 countries at “Girotonno 2014” in Carloforte (Carlisle) presented the match between France and the US respectively, with Sylvain Sendra and Anne Legrand for the French and Timothy Magee for the Americans.
The transalpine recipe included a recipe for tuna steaks , topped with a tuna broth flavored with vegetables and herbs (thyme , bay leaves, celery , carrots, sage ) and flavored with wine, garlic and onions. The tuna was combined with the Colonnata’s lard and the tomatoes , potatoes, onions sour . At the time of presentation on the plate Sylvain and Ann have seasoned it with olive oil , thyme, coriander , dill, fennel , candied citron, lemon , capers and big chunks of black olives.
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| the winner dish of the French chefs |
About the overseas competitor , who was born in Nevada, but originated, on his mother’s side, from the Tuscan city of Lucca, we saw what in my opinion has innovated a local tuna in an American’s concept. Timothy has had various experiences in the areas of Livorno and Pisa Tuscan cities for about 15 years , as well as a specialization of a year with the Dutch Paul DeBondt , one of the best chocolatiers in Italy , which operates in the worldwide famous Chocolate Valley in Tuscany. At this time Timothy Magee is the chef and owner of the restaurant "Il Sale" (the salt) in San Vincenzo, on the west Tuscan coast of Italy. The tars and stripes chef entered the stage scene with the US national anthem and flag so much acclaimed by the public,too.
His recipe was a recipe for seared tuna with mussels, seaweed and sweet onion . The tuna was placed under vacuum with the toasted seaweed and marinated for two hours, then opened and burned. The mussels are open and are cooked with various spices including thyme , oregano , black pepper, white vinegar and then whisk to obtain a sauce accompaniment. The Onion , however, is cooked in sweet and sour and then presented in the form of crispy wafer. Finally, the dish is presented with the ' fresh seaweed Wakame, just blanched.
The peculiarity is that have to be consumed as a sandwich so with your hands. Unfortunately, this detail has escaped to the jury that ate with fork and knife, distorting the final feeling and interpretation. This cost the defeat of the U.S. competitor Vs. the French ones. Personally, I voted a tie for both of them. I certainly found it as a very original and tasty dish along the U.S. spirit which frankly was not understood by those who have not followed the instructions for use.
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| Chef Timothy Magee from US |
After the vote , obtained from the average of a jury and a specialized team of journalists , the French Sendra and LeGrande were winners , albeit slightly compared to the American Tim Magee , earning the access to the final match on Sunday Vs. the other semifinals winners.
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| Jury's president Paolo Marchi |
We will closely monitor US chef Timothy Magee during the event to further explore its creations. Stay Tuned!
Watch the Video below:
article by Luca Centoni, pictures by Maria Grazia Sanfelice
Watch the Video below:
article by Luca Centoni, pictures by Maria Grazia Sanfelice
