When I talk with chefs, which I often do, I ask basic questions regarding their approach to cooking. How else would I know what to expect in the constantly changing world of culinary trends? One very talented chef whose opinions I value is Stefan Mueller who, for the past nine years, has hung his chef's hat in the kitchens of the Delta Beausejour in Moncton.
Arriving in Canada from his native Germany in 1990, he went to work for Canadian Pacific properties in Alberta. His moves to the Algonquin in St. Andrews, NB, and the Delta in Saint John preceded his appointment to the Beausejour, where he's been executive chef for the past four years.
"So, what's happening out there?" I ask as we talk about the trend towards healthy eating. "That trend is changing the entire food industry," he says, "including fast food restaurants. More and more places are offering lighter alternatives and/or heart-smart dishes."
Although Stefan would like to use more organically grown foods in his kitchen, he says they're hard to find and, when they are available, are usually priced beyond a chef's budget. He hopes the day will come when organic foods, which "have made an enormous impact in grocery stores all over the world," will catch up here. Perhaps it's a matter of supply and demand, but he believes that if more fresh, local products were available in stores, consumers would gradually make a shift to more healthy choices.
Ingredients aside, he has switched from his favourite frying pan to a lightly oiled grill for cooking fish. Having once loved the nice gentle crust that the frying pan provides, he says a grill can give the same results with a lot less fat. Another way he likes to cook fish is to marinate it, then bake it on a cedar plank in the oven. The flavour is intense.
But his most popular fish dish is one that he first prepared nine years ago: Salmon Beausejour, which is loosely based on ingredients that tempt the palates of the large Acadian population of the area. He marinates it in a mixture of molasses, ginger, garlic, coriander and rum, and then bakes it until it caramelizes.
"So what about sauces," I ask. "It's pretty hard to keep the classics light, isn't it?"
A nod here. "If I had to choose only one sauce, it would have to be a reduction of cream with New Brunswick apple wine and spiced seaweed. This is a sauce I developed to get a nice rich taste, as well as texture. Here at the hotel, this sauce is served with seafood as well as Buffalo Tourtiere," he says. "Cream?" "Yes," says the man who has cooked for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and President George Bush, Sr. "The key word here is moderation. You don't pour on the sauce. A couple of spoonfuls will do."