Abe Belmoufid

After attending university, Chef Abe Belmoufid enrolled at the ITHTGM Culinary Institute at Fez, Morocco, graduating with honours in 2003. Chef Abe cut his teeth in the industry at several prestigious culinary establishments in Morocco before moving to Canada in 2012, following in the footsteps of a long line of family chefs before him. Abe served for three years at the Longview Steakhouse, an award-winning restaurant established by family more than thirty years ago and it was at this time when Abe built a greater understanding of the North American palate.

Pork-Tenderloin-and-Apple-Sage-Jus

Chef Abe moved to Calgary in 2015 and subsequently joined the culinary team at Hotel Arts as a breakfast cook for one year while simultaneously working at Moxies to help develop his speed and organizational skills, and to understand the world of franchise kitchens. Chef Abe moved to the Calgary Golf and Country Club in the summer of 2016. Recognized for his talent, perseverance and dedication in his role as Saucier, Chef Abe was promoted to Executive Chef in 2019.

Do you have a favourite time of the year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?

Spring is my favourite time of the year. There are plenty of colours that any artist would be happy to work with. When it comes to food, I take a lot of inspiration from nature.

Lobster Tartellette

What would you do if you weren’t a chef?

If I was not a chef, I would be working in the realm of interior design. I am most happy when I am creating. I love the feeling I get when I look at something I have created. Plating food is like designing, and it’s not only about making a dish look pretty. It’s about creating balance between flavour, skilled cookery and visual appeal. All the elements must work together. For example, the sauce needs to have flavour, but it also must have body and proper consistency to compliment the dish.

Tuna-Tataki

Do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?

100%,  as a chef, my first responsibility is to the customer and to serve food that they will enjoy. Most often, they will want food that is familiar. At the same time, I feel strongly that it is also my responsibility to educate diners by introducing new flavours and experiences and help people to expand their own views on food. Secondly, for me, being a chef means deriving my own sense of happiness from cooking for others. I absolutely must be pleased with the food I am sending out to a customer. If a chef or cook is genuinely happy with the food they have cooked, the person in the dining room is going to know that and enjoy the food themselves. You must cook first with your heart; If you don’t, you will not be successful.

Steak-Frittes

Now, in terms of the food I like to serve, I have a respect for classical cuisine. I also want to be inventive and put my own spin on a classical preparation, or as I like to call it, “a twist”. I want my food to have my own fingerprint on it. Take a dish like Steak Frites as an example. Classically, it has been made the same way for a very long time and that is fine. It is a good dish, but could it be better with a slightly different approach? I crusted the New York steak with a mix of spices, and I used some truffles and herbs on the fries. I elevated this comfort food on it’s flavour profile by adding my touch and an understanding of spices.

Hamachi-Crudo

What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend currently?

Plant based food. Although we haven’t seen a wide range of our diners being hooked onto it, I have seen quite a few menus with plant-based options. If it is house made and there are no overly processed foods involved in it that might be a good diet. With my Mediterranean background, we eat mostly plants in all our meals. I believe that there is nothing more beneficial than balanced eating, and not leaning too heavily on any single item.

Caprese-Salad

When are you happiest?

I am an ambitious person, and I am always happiest with success. A busy day, completed with a flawless dinner service and positive compliments from my diners is what makes me most happy. For me, this is a sign that I am on the right track for completing my goals

When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?

Home is my refuge and I have 3 young boys and a lovely supportive wife, when I return home at the end of the night. We spend a lot of time as chefs in the kitchen and as a family man I see that it is my duty to be with them when I am not at work. When I need a few hours alone, I love to relax outdoors in nature and hang out by a stream fishing.

Blue cheese-Creamed-Rigatoni-Pasta

Where is your favourite place to dine?

Eating at home is my first choice. My wife is a great cook and I enjoy her food the most.  For a night out, my favourite place to dine is at The Longview Steakhouse. It has been a staple of the culinary scene in Alberta for quite sometime now. I am proud to say, it is my family’s restaurant. It also makes me very proud to come from a long line of chefs. In addition to my cousin being the Chef there, I have another cousin who runs the kitchen at Bistro 1843 in Montreal, and my uncle recently retired as the executive chef of the Sheraton Casablanca, in Morocco, after a long and successful career.

What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?

Pizza is my go to whenever my family wants takeaway food. Having kids really seems to impact my eating habits. I’m always trying to teach them about different foods and elevate their palates. My boys love pizza, and I don’t blame them, as I too was a picky eater at their age.

What makes the local food scene so exciting?

I think that the best thing in a country like Canada is the abundance of different ethnic groups and backgrounds. My cooking today is very different than before. I have and continue to learn a lot from my surroundings. Having access to different and a wide range of cooking techniques and ingredients, pushes my creativity and enables me to create with more complexity and depth of flavour.

Which is the dish you’ve created that you are most proud of and why?

The tuna dish. It was about 2 summers ago, that I decided to put a main course dish on my menu, that is refreshing but at the same time I wanted it to represent my experience. This dish contains an Asian flavour profile (gochujang and yuzu jam) mixed with Moroccan cuisine (chermoula pistachio crust) and then sesame confit asparagus. It has a sweet, tangy and spicy identity with an ahi tuna tataki style.

You’re having friends over for dinner tonight. What’s on the table?

For sure there will be a pasta dish. For me that is ultimate comfort food. It sounds simple, but if we break it down, it is not just sauce and noodles. The noodle must be cooked perfectly al dente, and that is not so easy to do. Then the sauce; it can be anything from a simple olive oil and garlic sauce but when you add a herb, maybe some lemon, it adds complexity. That’s what I like; Taking something basic and making it wonderful to enjoy.

Tuna Tataki

Name your favourite city that has it all: food, culture, and nightlife.

I spent 10 years in Marrakech, Morocco.  I have been lucky to have the chance to travel a great deal, and to experience many cities around the world, but I still think that Marrakech has it all!  From the colourful streets, to all the flavours and aromas of the variety of foods cooking, to the lively and ambient nightlife, Marrakech won my heart. It is that combination of rooted culture and modernity that characterizes the city’s spirit. See for yourself; I am certain it will win over your heart too.

Can you tell us more about the cuisine at your restaurants?

My approach to our menu here is threefold. First of all, we have the classics; here we take classic French dishes and I add my own twist. This twist can be in the form of a modern take or swapping out ingredients that reflect my personal background. Secondly, If you read my menu and walk through my kitchen you will see that the menu also is largely impacted by the various ethnic backgrounds of my cooks. We can all learn from each other’s “mother” cuisine, and I love to see this in carried forwards to my menus. And finally, my menu represents a variety of techniques. As chefs and cooks, we must constantly hone our craft to stay relevant in the food scene. I am constantly experimenting and developing new techniques that you could see on my menu.

Dover Sole Almondine

PREP TIME: 30 MINS

SERVES: 2

COOK TIME: 30–40 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tbsp blanched slivered almonds
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley
• 4 tbsp fresh tarragon
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• 1 filleted Dover sole (4 filets)
• powdered gelatin
• 1 slice of white bread
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley
• 4 tbsp fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ medium sized zucchini
• 2 yellow potatoes, peeled
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 1 cup of celeriac, peeled and diced 1”
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 shallot, mince
• 1½ cup white wine
• juice of ½ lemon
• ½ lb cold butter,
• ½ inch diced radish sprouts,
• fresh dill fronds and slivered almonds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

• Almond and herb stuffing: Combine almonds, parsley, tarragon and butter in food processor to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside
• Preparing the stuffed Dover Sole: Gently spread a layer of the almond and herb stuffing on the skin side of two of the filets. Sprinkle the gelatin around the edges of these filets. Place the other two filets on top, making a “sandwich” with the herb and almond paste inside. Season the outsides with salt. Wrap each fish very tight with plastic wrap. Place the two pieces of stuffed fish in a vacuum seal bag and seal tightly with no air inside. Refrigerate overnight.
• Herbed croutons: Carefully cut the bread into ½ inch cubes. Place a small amount of olive oil in a saucepan and heat over medium. Toast the crouton in the pan moving the bread constantly to avoid burning. When nicely golden in colour, remove from heat and toss with the fresh herbs. Set aside.
• Parsley oil: Blanch the fresh parsley in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove to an ice bath to retain colour. Add to blender with olive oil and blend on high speed for 5 minutes. Strain the oil through a coffee filter and place in a squeeze bottle with a fine tip. Refrigerate.
• Zucchini flower, potato and carrot wells: For the zucchini, cut 12 petal shaped portions with a metal cutter. For the potato and carrot, cut various round shapes with cutters. Quickly blanch the zucchini in simmering salted water and stop cooking by placing in ice bath. Then cook the carrot and potato in same water until tender. Place in ice bath. Dry the vegetables and put aside for later.
• Celeriac puree: In a saucepan, place celeriac and cream. Simmer slowly until celeriac in very soft and cream is slightly reduced and thicker. Season with salt. Puree in blender until very smooth. Place in piping bag with fine tip. Set aside but keep warm.
• Beurre blanc: In a saucepan, add a touch of oil and slowly heat with minced shallots. Don’t allow the shallots to get brown, cook until translucent. Add white wine and lemon juice. Simmer until reduced by three quarters. Slowly whisk in the cold butter one or two cubes at a time. The sauce will thicken as more butter is slowly emulsified into the sauce. Season with salt and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Place in a squeeze bottle with a fine tip and keep warm, but not hot.
• Cooking the fish: Cook the fish in the bag in a sous vide water bath at 118F for 45 minutes. Place in ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove the fish from bags and gently remove the excess gelatin from the fish, dry and season with salt.
• Assembly of the final dish: Lightly sear the pieces of zucchini in a pan and toss the carrot and potato pieces in olive oil. Arrange the zucchini pieces on plate to form a flower. Arrange the carrot and potato wells. Sear the fish in a pan to give it a golden colour and reheat. Slice the fish with a sharp knife in two pieces, on a bias. Assemble on the plate.
• On one piece of the fish, spread a thin layer of celeriac puree and place the almonds on to resemble scales of the fish. On the second piece put 4-5 dot of puree and adhere the croutons on top. Fill the vegetable wells with a squeeze of beurre blanc and a touch of parsley oil. Finish the garnishing with dill fronds and radish sprouts.