Robert Carrier

[Zurie]

Robert Carrier was the chef who taught me to cook outside the food boundaries of my country. I "discovered" him through his book "Great Dishes of the World", (published 1963) which I could only afford in paperback, and which now consists of a pack of loose pages and grease marks -- and I still consult it!



(1923 - 2006)

In its obituary for this beloved showman-cook, The Times of London wrote among other facts:

"Famous long before the term 'celebrity chef' was coined, Robert Carrier epitomised fine dining in 1970s Britain. His restaurants, cookbooks and television programmes put truffles, brandy, saffron and spatchcock into the lexicon of many people still shaking off the memory of lumpy gravy, tinned fruit and food stamps."

Carrier was an American who served with the US Army in WW II. He remained in Europe after the war, helping a friend who had a restaurantin St. Tropez. Later, in Rome, he discovered Italian food. In 1953 he accepted a public relations job in Britain, where he used his ample charm and flamboyance.

After tasting a dinner at his home the editor of Harper's Bazaar offered him the job as food editor, and this also enabled him to contribute to other magazines. Quickly, he became a new force on the food horizon.

He wrote various cookbooks and recipe card series, and appeared on television. He maintained that "there's nothing to good cooking. It's really simple .... A good meal needs care and attention but anyone can do it."

In a long and colourful career he first opened a restaurant in Camden Passage, Islington, and later restored a stately home, Hintlesham Hall. This was opened as a hotel and restaurant in 1972. He had his own kitchen garden here, and as a reviewer noted, "elegance and delicacy" were the keynotes of his cooking.

His recipes are often rich and he never stinted on seasonings. He created a famous cake, "Négresse sans Chemise" -- a decadent chocolate truffle cake which was pure indulgence. This was later tweaked by Delia Smith -- with sharply reduced levels of richness and cholesterol!

Later he concentrated on his publishing and broadcasting, and spent time in France, Morocco and America. For a time he lived in Marrakech, Morocco, as he was greatly taken with the country and its food.

One of his prized possessions was a tattered, grease-spattered edition of "Great Dishes of the World", given to him by a man who had used it to run three highly successful restaurants! (It could have been mine -- the "tattered" part of the story!)

He remains one of my chef heroes. He died in Provence, where he spent his retirement, painting. He would have been great as a TV chef today, in one of his colourful caftans.

He never married.

These are some of his publications:

Great Dishes of the World (1963)
The Robert Carrier Cookbook (1965)
Great Starters (1965)
The Robert Carrier Herb Garden (1969)
The Robert Carrier Cookery Course (1969)
Cooking with Carrier (1981)
A Taste of Morocco (1987)

[Zurie]

The three books I have, and please check the state of the paperback -- old, but much-used!

[French Tart]

Thank you for all of this Zuri! And, especially for the wonderful photos of REAL cooking books, much loved and used!

I am also a Robert Carrier fan - he really was such a clever and inspirational cook; I remember subscribing to a weekly magazine called Carrier's Kitchen - crikey, it must have cost me an arm and a leg, as they went on for 2 years!!

I have no idea where the 104 magazines are now - probably in a box somewhere!

A great "celebrity" chef - I am going to see if there are any recipes of his on zaar!

FT

[Chef Shadows]

Zurie I have the "Great Dishes of tht World " your's is in better shape then mine!

Excellent book

[French Tart]

Chef Shadows wrote:
Zurie I have the "Great Dishes of tht World " your's is in better shape then mine!

Excellent book

It must be well used then Shadows!

I love his recipes, I just worked out I paid 60 pence a magazine in 1980 - that's 104 x .60 = £602.40 for the set - I could have bought all his books and dined out for a year on that amount!! (£602.40 = $1,204.80)

[Idaho Auntie]

My husband gave me "Great Dishes of the World" in the 1960's. I have the hard copy, of course much worse for wear, but much loved. He helped me become a good cook and an enthusiastic lover of good food. I still pull that book out looking for a favorite recipe and ejoying a happy time in my kitchen.

[Zurie]

Dear old Robert!! I also return to my tattered copy time and again.

I only EVER make his crepes recipe! And his Crêpes Suzette are fantastic -- when we were newly married and much into entertaining, that was my husband's showpiece!! (Pity DH never makes it any more, the lazy bum!)

I learnt to make so many classic dishes from "Great Dishes ...", like Caesar Salad, Coq au Vin (the longer method recipe!), Duck a l'Orange, etc!

Once I made his Rum Baba or Baba au Rum (I forget the title now) when my parents came to visit us in Johannesburg, and my little brother got tipsy because I was too generous with the rum. So I got a ticking-off from Mom!

[Idaho Auntie]

Have you tried cotelettes de porc au sauge? It is absolutely fail proof and so easy. Needless to say it is delicious, you will make a big hit with this. Mr Carrier made me look like I really knew what I was doing. Forty-six years later and I am still using this recipe......

[Zurie]

I'll definitely have a look, if I can still find the tattered page!!

He's so reliable for classic, standby recipes, and personally I love the way he didn't care a damn about low-fat stuff!

[xlcr]

Hi Zurie

I'm pleased to see you are a Robert Carrier fan and wonder if you can help me.

I used to have the complete set of Carrier's Kitchen part-works but they were stolen - along with all my other posessions - during a house move some years ago. Contained within their pages was a great recipe for roast goose. This used a stuffing of, I think, chopped potatoes and goose giblets among other things. I wonder if you might have this recipe - particularly the stuffing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Zurie]

xlcr wrote:
Hi Zurie

I'm pleased to see you are a Robert Carrier fan and wonder if you can help me.

I used to have the complete set of Carrier's Kitchen part-works but they were stolen - along with all my other posessions - during a house move some years ago. Contained within their pages was a great recipe for roast goose. This used a stuffing of, I think, chopped potatoes and goose giblets among other things. I wonder if you might have this recipe - particularly the stuffing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there, Chef xlcr!!

I began answering you yesterday, but my computer froze , and I had to exit the internet.

I also had that set of "Carrier's Kitchen". When we left Johannesburg to move to the coast I actually sold mine to a bookshop specializing in cookbooks ... I just did not have space for all our books! What a pity!

So I do not have that recipe.

In my old paperback "Great Dishes of the World" I did find 2 recipes. One is called "Roast Goose" and merely tells how to roast a goose: he ties the goose after stuffing (no recipe given), dust with flour, and roast in a 425 deg oven for 15 mins.

Then reduce heat to 350 deg, and continue roasting until tender -- he says about 25 minutes per pound if stuffed.

Do not baste, and drain off the fat several times during roasting -- but keep the fat, which will last indefinitely. (Goose fat is -- surprise! -- quite a healthy fat, and makes wonderful roast potatoes).

15 minutes before the end of cooking he sprinkles his goose lightly with breadcrumbs, raise the oven heat to 425 deg again, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Xlcr (oops, I think you need a nicer name!! ) there is an "Austrian Stuffing for Roast Goose or Turkey" a few recipes further. No potatoes in it it: onion, sausauge meat, few anchovy fillets, poultry livers, breadcrumbs, etc.

I'm not sure this is what you had in mind.

If it is, post here again, and I'll type it out. (No use typing it all if it is not the stuffing you're after).

[xlcr]

Hi Zuri

Thanks for the speedy reply - notwithstanding the fact that your computer froze. A bit like me in the UK where the temperature is minus 10 celcius at the moment.

Anyway, back to the goose. I will carry on looking. Thank you for your kind offer to type out the recipe.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Peter Towler

[circus ray]

roast goose with potato stuffing==robert carrier
6-9 lb goose==2lb potatoes cut to 1/4 in cubes==2oz butter==1 med onion chopped==10 oz goose or chicken stock==salt=pepper
stuffing==cook pot in salt water 10 min==drain==melt butter in saucepan cook onion add parsley and choped goose hart and liver 5 min stir incooked potato and add stock mix well season ===from robt carrier kitchen

[Zurie]

Hi there, circus ray, and welcome!

Although the question asked about the goose stuffing is a bit old, do you have any reference or link (link on the Internet)?

[circus ray]

I DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR ASKING FOR ABOUT A LINK I AM ROBERT CARRIERS NEPHEW AND I HAVE ALL HIS BOOKS I WAS JUST SURFING AND FOUND YOUR SITE AND LOOKED UP THE RECIPE AND PUT IT ON TO THE PERSON THAT ASKED ABOUT IT ==RAY MACMAHON