Inspired by the process of picking specialty wines for Sommelier Selection, Jerome Philippon decided to do the same for Chef Selection, choosing produce grown and made only by the finest makers.

 

The point, he says, is to stay as close as possible to the traditional approach of producing high-quality food products. Working closely with the producers, Jerome says he traces each of his offerings back to the specific farmer, maker, grower or fisherman.

 

What he sells are the produce of choice by France’s best chefs and served in three-star Michelin restaurants. He imports fresh produce weekly. The costs, he says, are manageable as “we deal directly with growers and have no go-betweens.”

 

All selections are French, though in time, Jerome plans to expand to a selection covering other food cultures.

 

Oysters

 

Philippon brings oysters from two different French coast lines, Marennes and Brittany. Both are farmed on high sea beds near the coast, where the tides bring fresh seawater twice a day.

 

Marennes oysters are refined in marsh water basins called “fines de claire” for a few weeks before their consumption, giving the flesh a firmer texture and nuttier taste.

 

The Brittany oysters are also excellent, very fleshy, says Jerome Philippon.

 

“Our oysters are very fresh when we receive them every Friday,” said  Phillipon. “It is essential to keep them in an ice box.”

 

In a fridge that’s kept at optimum performance, hardly opened and not overloaded, they will be in perfect condition for three to five days. But of course, it is best and safest to consume them as soon as possible.

 

To serve the oysters, one must open them and keep at least half of their natural water. They also need to be detached from the muscle that attaches the oysters to the bottom shells.

 

One may add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon. The oysters can be eaten cold.

 

“To me they are best with a wedge of lemon and a dab of semi-salted butter,” says Phillipon. “But in my hometown, we also enjoy them a lot with a flat sausage speciality that we grill and serve as a side dish.”

 

According to Phillipon, one should enjoy oysters with dry fragrant white wines, “such as Chablis (Burgundy Chardonnay) and Sancerre ( Loire valley Sauvignon blanc).”

 

“But if these bottles can be a bit expensive in the Philippines, I recommend as alternative dry white wine.”

 

Christmas treat

 

In December, Chef Selection is bringing in Atlantic sea scallops, “fresh from their sea bed directly to Manila—an experience not to be missed,” says Phillipon.

 

These delicious scallops are easy to prepare. They’re simply seared, served with lemon butter and an asparagus risotto on the side. Or they’re served as tartare, considering how fresh they are.

 

Current selection includes Monkfish, Sea Bream and Irish fresh salmon. There’s also an amazing selection of wild Atlantic and Pacific smoked salmon.

 

Phillipon says he cooks monkfish in the oven simply with leeks, white onions, butter, white wine, butter and  baby turnips. Monkfish may also be prepared with cream sauce.

 

“The beauty of this fish is its texture that’s more like muscle than flakes, so you have to try to keep that characteristic,” he explains.

 

Butter

 

Chef Selection offers the finest butters, such as Échire. These butters have passed the Appellation d’ Origine Protégée (AOP)  standard.

 

In France, AOP indicates the controlled designation of origin of a food product.

 

“It can be given only to butter if it is made from pure milk fat and is 100-percent natural,” says Phillipon. “That means no vegetable fat, soy proteins or any of these similar additives that can be found in it. Because of this, the butter is exemplary in taste—both nutty and milky in flavor, consistency and texture.”

 

“Butter quality,” he adds, “depends on the milk. This in turn depends a lot on where cows graze and the quality of their grass feeds.

 

Cheese

 

The same standards of quality apply to cheeses. Chef Selection imports cheese from the French Basque area that was rated twice as “the best cheese in the world” by an international panel. It is a goat’s milk cheese coming exclusively from three species of local goats that graze in the Pyrenees mountain slopes most of the year,” says Phillipon.

 

“Many people are exposed to hard-paste cheeses. It is probably nice to taste a soft paste with washed rind such as Camembert, or veined blue cheeses such as the froume d’ambert that is not as strong as a Roquefort.

 

Finally, it would be an experience to check the “affineur” cheeses, he says. An affineur is a profession, someone who selects farms and cheese makers, and collects cheeses regularly from them to refine them in his cellar. Such cheeses are delivered to the consumers at their exact ripeness.

 

Call Chef Selection Inc. at 0917-8851079.