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Continuing
his climb up the culinary ladder, he became sous chef at
Troisgros in Roanne, France before relocating to Bangkok,
Thailand to serve as chef cuisinier at the Oriental Hotel’s
Normandie Restaurant. After another short stint in France
at Marc Meneau’s Michelin three-star restaurant in
the Hotel Picardy in 1990, Antunes became chef-partner
at the critically acclaimed London establishment, Les Saveurs
where his culinary prowess earned the restaurant a Michelin
star in 1994 and recognition as “Restaurant of the
Year” from British magazine Decanter.
When the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead began its search
for a new executive chef in 1997, famed chefs Daniel Boulud
and Alain Ducasse whole-heartedly recommended Antunes for the
job. He served as executive chef for four years, earning the
restaurant both a Mobil Five-Star award as well as a AAA Five-Diamond
award and making it the only restaurant in the Southeast to
simultaneously hold both accolades.
The culmination of Chef Antunes’ more than 25 years of culinary
experience occurred when he opened his own restaurant, Joël, in
Atlanta. The French brasserie serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and
features the French cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian influences
that Antunes has perfected while working with some of the world’s
culinary legends.
Born:
January 11, 1961 in Volvic, France
Famous places cooked:
Oriental Hotel, Bangkok
Famous people cooked for:
Elizabeth Taylor, Prince Charles, Elton John, Mic Jaeger
Favorite Food/dish:
Sardine Tempura
Biggest inspiration:
Chef Pierre Gagnaire (touted as a Genius chef!) of Le Balzac in
Paris, France
Favorite piece of cooking equipment:
62 ft. custom stove designed by Joël himself & his pasta
machine
Interesting hobbies:
Mountain Biking, Classic Cars
Recipe:
Recipe
and Preparation instructions: Tuna Tartare with Tomato Pulp,
Tomato Dressing and Micro Basil
This is a hard one but well worth it! Make the lemon confit
3 weeks in advance. This is great to use for other recipes.
Tuna Tartare with Tomato Pulp, Tomato Dressing and Micro Basil
Lemon Confit:
5 lemons
1 7/8 cups water (enough to cover the lemons)
1/8 ounce fresh tumeric, minced
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/4 cup salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 clove
Cut the ends of the lemons and make 4 incisions in the middle. Boil
them in the water for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and separate
the lemons from the water used to cook them. Insert the minced tumeric
in the incisions on the lemons. Combine the lemons, coriander seeds,
salt, sugar and clove in a jar. Cover the ingredients with the cooking
water. Refrigerate for three weeks before using.
Tuna Tartare:
1/2 pound sashimi-grade tuna, diced
3/8 ounce chives, chopped
3/8 ounce shallots, chopped
1/8 ounce lemon confit
6 drops Tabasco sauce
6 drops Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Toss the diced tuna in all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste
with salt and pepper.
Tomato Pulp:
1 pound red Roma tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup sugar
10 basil leaves
Cut the tomatoes into halves. Combine them with the sugar and basil
in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover
the bowl with plastic film and cook over a bain-marie (water bath)
for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours, then pass
it through a muslin strainer. Reserve the liquid for the tomato dressing.
Remove the basil from the pulp and pass the pulp through a fine-mesh
sieve.
Tomato Dressing:
3/8 cup olive oil
5/8 cup tomato water (from preparing the tomato pulp)
Salt
Add the olive oil to the tomato water and mix well. Season to taste
with salt.
Garnish:
Micro basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Prepare 4 plates. Place a ring mold in the center of each plate and
fill it with the tuna tartare. Cover the tune with a thin smooth layer
of tomato pulp. Remove the ring. Spoon the dressing around and garnish
with some micro basil. Pour some olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt
over to serve.
Serves 4
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