9 October 2019
Which recipe are you going to present today? What produce have you decided to work with, and why?
I'm presenting a scallop carpaccio, with mandarin gel and Hierba du Valais emulsion. It's the beginning of the scallop season, and I wanted to combine them with local produce. It's an easy recipe to prepare to impress your guests.
Is there anything that you absolutely could not do without in your cuisine?
Potatoes to make our main garniture : potato mousseline, which looks so simple at first glance.
A dish from your childhood ?
‘Fleishnackas', is a traditional dish from Alsace, and one my mother's great specialities. I've even offered it in a more refined version, with a Thai twist, on a tasting menu. It is a pasta dough that is rolled with a filling of ‘pot-au-feu' meat, browned in a frying pan then cooked in the pot-au-feu bouillon, and served with a green salad.
Was becoming a chef an obvious choice ?
Exactly. As I'm the son of a restaurant owner, I grew up in a kitchen. When I was little, I wanted to be a pastry chef, but very soon after starting hotel school, I realised that cooking was perfect for me.
Are you more : local or exotic flavours? Tradition or innovation ?
I love exploring new flavours, whether local or exotic, such as green pine cones from our beautiful mountains, or jackfruit from south-east Asia, which I'm going to work with on the menu of our La Table restaurant this winter. In order to innovate, first and foremost you have to know the classics, and respect traditions.
Why did you choose Crans-Montana for your work?
I love the mountains more than anything else ! Well, alongside the challenge of taking over the kitchens of a hotel as prestigious as the Crans Ambassador, despite its eventful past.
Your culinary influences or inspirations?
My journeys are the main source of my inspiration, I'm always thinking about discovering new produce. I also seek inspiration in cookery books, and recently on social media.
Your greatest gastronomic encounter?
I could talk to you about the great chefs, and sublime dishes that I'll always remember eating....However the most beautiful moments in life are those shared with local communities during my travels. 10.
An anecdote to share with us ?
I have so many, I remember for example giving a cooking class to locals in El Salvador, together with German and Canadian friends. These were unique moments of sharing and exploring, we were aiming to find different uses for all of the mangoes that the hotel trees were providing. Sharing is the basis of cooking to me.
Video of William Weiss's Receipe
