Shrimp Hummus, Lentil Gnocchi, and More Fun French Fusion Recipes From Pierre Gagnaire
These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a picture of Pierre Gagnaire where he’s not smiling or being goofily beamed at by someone having a knockout moment with his food. Like many of his French-born peers (like Daniel Boulud, Raymond Blanc, and Alain Ducasse), the now 74-year-old chef began staging in restaurants as a teenager under the often punishing Escoffier system. But rather than slipping into lockstep once he’d perfected the fundamentals, Gagnaire rebelled extravagantly and gleefully, creating a culinary choreography of his own to the tune of the musicians, artists, novelists, and even scentmakers he admires.
In 2010, Food & Wine called Gagnaire “The World’s Most Inspiring Chef.” These recipes — including a soup that cleverly transforms humble lentils into earthy gnocchi; daikon fanned into a paintbrush daubed with brilliant beets and Campari; and a heady, Calvados-infused clafoutis — offer a grin-inducing glimpse into why he’s still such a thrill.
Sautéed Shrimp with Shrimp Hummus
The color palette of the desert inspired Gagnaire when he moved to Las Vegas to open his restaurant Twist. Long walks away from the lights and bustle of the strip brought tones of sand, red rock mountains, and scrubby foliage to the fore. And while shrimp aren’t exactly native to the arid terrain, they’re synonymous with the bounteous excess of Sin City — and bring an extra element of flavor in the form of a quick shell stock that goes into the hummus.
Caramelized Apple Clafoutis
This heady dessert — which he initially named for Normandy-born Gustave Flaubert — uses elements inextricably tied to the writer’s native region in the form of apples, crème fraîche, Calvados, and Brillat-Savarin cheese.
Beet-and-Orange-Infused Daikon with Onion Puree
“Inspired by the Chinese-French artist Zao Wou-Ki, Pierre Gagnaire’s ingenious and surprisingly simple dish looks like a brush dipped in magenta paint,” explained writer Jane Sigal. The “paint” gets its color and pinch from a sauce of orange juice, Campari, rum and shredded beets.
Sprouts with Apples and Nasturtium Leaves
A surprise shipment of hops sprouts to Gagnaire’s restaurant fueled this on-the-spot dish that balances them against tart Granny Smith apples, toasted peanut oil, nasturtium leaves, and piquant sheep’s milk yogurt.
Foie Gras Soup with Lentil Gnocchi and Balsamic Onions
“Earth, color, red things” and an earth-themed Hermès perfume provided Gagnaire’s inspiration for this luxe soup that cleverly uses lentils to create rich gnocchi.
