Watch Eric Ripert in action in his new show “Avec Eric.”  If you’re in NYC its channel WNET Sundays at 4:30, if not check out your local station: http://aveceric.com/stationguide.

 

In this second episode, Eric visits Le Bernardin’s “garde manger”- a term that restaurants use that means ‘keeper of the food’ or ‘guard of the food’. This particular station in the kitchen is responsible for the first courses and cold plates - like salads and cold ingredients like smoked salmon or caviar. Because many times these plates are the first taste that a diner eats, it is extremely important that the flavors be at their very best.

 

Later, he travels to the west coast to meet David Kinch who is the chef/owner of Manresa in Los Gatos, California. Chef Kinch is so serious about knowing exactly where his ingredients come from that he has purchased his own plot of land and hired an award-winning farmer to grow the vegetables that he uses in his restaurant. Because so many people are gardening at home and because there are farmers markets popping up in towns all over the U.S., Chef Ripert thought that he would show you how to take the inspiration from California and teach you a simple, fresh seared salmon dish with something fresh from the garden - pea-shoots with ginger-soy vinaigrette.