Your restaurant Colette has made a specialty of very high-quality grilled meats, particularly rib of beef. One of the secrets of the success of our chef Nicolas Gautier in this regard is that he chooses to use long-matured (otherwise known as aged) meats. Read on as we tell you more about it.
What is involved in the meat maturation process?
Unlike the case with lamb, pork and poultry, it’s not a good idea to consume beef fresh from the slaughter, because at that stage it hasn’t attained its full flavour and tenderness. Usually, pieces of beef are allowed to rest for 7 to 10 days in a cold room before being eaten. This allows the enzymes that are naturally present in the meat to break its connective tissue down into a softer and tastier state. So, if the very highest quality is required, this process is lengthened to get the best out of the meat.
Beef the Colette way
Although the basic maturation time is about a week, there are very elaborate processes that are used to push this resting period up to 20, 30 or even 90 days, when the desire is to obtain beef that is simply exceptional. For such an extended period a simple cold room is not enough. What’s needed is a dedicated maturation chamber in which the temperature and hygrometry are very finely controlled. This yields exceptional results. That’s why, for our restaurant’s luxury grill, the Colette’s chef, Nicolas Gautier, chooses only ribs of Galician beef that have been matured for 30 days. Remember; maturation results in excellence and only an exceptional piece of beef will express sumptuous flavours.
The meat maturation process results in pure taste magic. Come and discover it courtesy of the luxury grills of our restaurant Colette in the heart of Saint-Tropez!
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Restaurant Colette, a unique setting, a singular signature and a modern concept