Rillettes

Art Culinaire, Wntr, 2002

RELATED ARTICLE: Paul Liebrandt Formerly of Atlas New York, NY

It's an amazing maze of ingredients that weave through Executive Chef Paul Liebrandt's mind. A combination of ingredients which meld shrimp and white chocolate with a pink pepper croquant, bigeye tuna and Granny Smith apple ravioli, or squab and bitter chocolate. One can't help but wonder 'how do these things work-do these things work?' "They don't work all the time!" quips Liebrandt. "Maybe two out of the ten dishes I try on a weekly basis, really, really work. Eel ice cream, for example. It's got a high fat content and cream is a fatty thing; you just get a feeling that it will be okay."

Liebrandt professes that food should be simple, graphic, sexy, and feminine. That sounds about as easy to achieve as finding a nymphomaniac Amish girl with Turrets syndrome: it's fascinating but not necessarily appealing. But then again, such creations as eel ice cream are a revelation to the world of seafood and confections. New York Times food writer Bill Grimes and newest fan of Liebrandt, describes his cooking style as capable of "making you use taste buds you never knew you had." Indeed, just glancing at the menu stretches the imagination, why not the tongue too? But Liebrandt puts aside the friction about what "can" and "can't" be done in the kitchen. He believes that when you go to a restaurant, you put yourself in the chef's hands, "At this level, I feel I can cook well enough that I am not going to serve something which tastes disgusting." Though youth is the key to his creative courage, his professional experience can rival many skeptical peers who are twice his age.

Liebrandt started working at restaurant L'Escargot in London when he was fifteen years old. Six days a week were spent in the kitchen; the seventh day was devoted to academic studies. "I was an apprentice for two and a half years and the chefs there knew everybody. It was just a matter of being introduced to other chefs," he recalls. 'Meeting other chefs' translated into professional opportunities, among them a two year stint with Michelin three star chef Marco Pierre White. He also worked with Richard Neat for six months at, Pied a Terre and one and half years with Raymond Blanc of Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons. He traveled to Paris to observe Piere Gagnaire's kitchen before venturing across the Atlantic to work at the Bouley Bakery in Manhattan. But, soon after his arrival in the States, already a ten year veteran of his craft, a 25 year old Liebrandt was ready to take charge of the kitchen.

After almost a decade in the business, seeking more stimulus than his native London or neighboring Europe could provide, he set his sites on New York; a place he felt would truly be challenging and stimulating to his artistic vision. "This restaurant right now is getting a massive amount of 'P.R.' and we are doing stuff which no else is doing in New York; I'm not saying that we're doing the best food or that I'm the best, but conceptually, creatively there's no one that can touch us," Liebrandt explains. Often criticized for misdirected creativity, Liebrandt feels this is his strength. In fact, if forced to choose between a reputation for the most innovative or the best tasting food, Liebrandt aptly replies; "I have always maintained that I will never be the best chef in the world, but I would rather serve food that makes you inspired about eating. I'd rather take risks ." Among the ingredients that allow him to experiment are a wide variety of salts.