Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Susur Lee, the wildly acclaimed Canadian chef and owner of Lee restaurant, is a wonderful teacher as well as a superb cook. Recently I was invited to participate in a cooking class with Lee and the winners of the Jacob's Creek Reserve Table Cooking Contest. (The contestants had to send in a recipe that captured their character – not an easy task.) The prize: an exclusive experience cooking at Lee, as well as one of his signature multicourse dinners with matched wines from Jacob's Creek in the restaurant's private dining room.
During the interactive class, he guided us through the preparations of his signature Tuna Tartare. The master's touch with seasoning was worth the whole class. He tasted the dish and adjusted the seasoning, adding a little of this and a little of that – always looking for the perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy. The dish shone. It was a real lesson in tasting for seasoning before you serve.
Here is Lee's mouth-watering dish as well as one of the recipes from one of the winners.
Recipe: Susur Lee's Tuna Tartare with Seared Peppery Tuna and Tonnato Sauce
Recipe: Natalie Brea Van Apeldoorn's French Onion Soup
Follow me on Twitter: @lucywaverman
Lucy Waverman