Creative Cooking for the Global Kitchen - Chef David Jean Marteau

Lunch is served.  Our first course will be Saffron Soup with seafood, beautifully served in a whisky glass with a side of spicy mayonnaise and a simple rustic garlic bread.  Next will be a pan fried, breaded goat cheese cake with fresh lettuce and a nice lemon olive oil vinaigrette, garnished with caramelized walnuts and a cherry tomato. For the first main course, you will have a wonderful cod fish on a bed of beef truffle sauce (yes beef sauce with fish is amazing).  For the second course, a nice roasted beef tenderloin with a red pepper coulis, served with snow peas.  And finally for dessert, a small tiramisu in a chocolate cup and strawberry mousse.

A meal fit for a queen?!  Well the queen didn't actually have the pleasure of enjoying this delicious meal but the Princess of the Nederland sure did.  This is just one meal prepared for celebraties by David Jean Marteau, Executive Chef of the Parkyard Hotels and Catering in Shanghai, China.  This award winning chef has been cooking and traveling around the world for over 20 years.  From being the sole Executive Chef in charge of the food for ALL of the soccer teams during the 2008 Olympics in China, Chef Marteau has cooked for Halle Berry, Queen Latifa, Jacques Villeneuve, Robert Carlyle, Yao Ming, Liu Xiang and even the U. S. President George Bush (senior) and ex-governor of California Arnold Schwarzzenegger.

Chef Marteau started cooking in his grandmother's kitchen at the age of 9 and hasn't stopped.  His knack for 'marrying' foods that most would never consider is bringing him fame, as with his beef sauce served with cod fish.  And now he has blessed us with a cookbook full of simple dishes that will fit just about anyone's taste.

When I started looking through Chef Marteau's cookbook Creative Cooking for the Global Kitchen, I couldn't help but think about my own book Think With Your Taste Buds.  This is also what Chef Marteau is trying to teach us to do with our cooking.  If it sounds like something that might be good together, try it.  You have nothing to lose and possibly a lot to gain.

Some of my favorite recipes from Creative Cooking for the Global Kitchen are Risotto With Grilled Chicken.  I love Risotto and I love chicken so this fit my taste buds perfectly.  Chef Marteau's Clam Chowder is rich in flavor and oh so creamy.  And his Hazelnut Vinaigrette is to die for.  I have recently bought a bottle of Hazelnut oil with no idea as to what I would do with it.  This recipe solved that lttle problem for me.  I'm really anxious to give Chef Marteau's Broccoli and Shrimp Soup with Almonds a try, as well as his Creamy Bread Soup made with stale bread.  This book has opened up more recipe ideas for me to try and as I do with all of my own cookbooks, Chef Marteau offers suggestions for ingredient changes as well as tips.  This is a must have cookbook!