Chef Biography
Daniel Bonnot was born in 1945 in Angouleme, France and raised in Paris. At age 14, he trained in Paris for three years, and then served two years in the French Army, where he was the chef for Pierre Messmer, who later became Prime Minister in 1972-1974.
In 1966, he went to work in the kitchen of the Savoy Hotel in Paris for two years, before moving to the island of Guataloupe in the Caribbean in 1968, where he stayed for two more years.
In 1970, Chef Bonnot moved to New Orleans because of the music, and worked at the Plimsoll Club, located atop the World Trade Center. In 1971, he was offered a position at Pigalle in Cincinnati, where he stayed for one year. He then moved back to New Orleans to open the Louis XVI restaurant, one of the most successful restaurants in New Orleans during the years 1972 to 1985.
In 1984, Chef Daniel and several partners bought what was then the restaurant in Paris’ Eiffel Tower, had it dismantled, and shipped it in containers to New Orleans. They leased a space on Saint Charles Avenue and in 1986, he opened the Tour d’Eiffel Restaurant. Unfortunately, it was under-capitalized and it closed two years later in 1988. That same year, Chef Bonnot opened Chez Daniel in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. He then opened Bizou, downtown on Saint Charles Avenue in 1996 and sold Chez Daniel in 1998. In the year 2000, Chef Daniel Bonnot decided to retire and sold Bizou to his former sous chef, Susan Spicer, and Susan’s sous chef from Bayona, Donald Link, and they changed the name to Herbsaint.
Chef Daniel Bonnot is still considered to be one of the best French Chefs in the City of New Orleans, and he continues to consult and teach cooking around the world.
Recipes
Potatoes Sarladaise
Serving: 4 Print Potatoes Sarladaise By Great Chefs November 16, 2015 These delicious potatoes, sauteed in duck fat, are a traditional accompaniment for Duck Confit. They are garnished with truffle shavings and chopped parsley. Ingredients Potatoes – 3 medium Duck Fat – 1 serving, spoon Truffle – 1, shaved, or 1 large mushroom, shaved Fresh […]
Duck Confit
Serving: 4 Print Duck Confit By Great Chefs November 16, 2015 Cooked slowly covered in herbed fat, this duck is moist and tender. The surprise with meats prepared this way – confit – is that they are neither greasy nor fatty. This is a very old method of preparing and preserving meat, and it gets […]
Paris-Brest
Serving: 12 Print Paris-Brest By Great Chefs November 15, 2015 This dessert was supposedly named from a pastry shop along the route of the bicycle race between Paris and Brest. It is a ring of pate a choux pastry filled with pastry cream. See a similar dessert with a totally different look in the recipe […]
Foie Gras with Poached Egg and Port
Serving: 2 Print Foie Gras with Poached Egg and Port By Great Chefs May 28, 2014 This beautiful appetizer, soft poached eggs inside crisp brioche crumbs with accompanying greens, mushrooms, and foie gras slices, could also appear at brunch. Note that Chef Bonnot uses the same pan to saute the foie gras and brown the […]
Bûche de Noel (Yule Log)
Serving: 5-8 Print Bûche de Noel (Yule Log) By Great Chefs May 28, 2014 This traditional French dessert is shaped and iced to resemble a log, but inside it is a tender sponge cake moistened with rum syrup and rolled up with buttercream. Chef Bonnot includes miniature meringue mushrooms as garnish; they can be made […]
La Symphonie Neptune
Serving: 4 Print La Symphonie Neptune By Great Chefs May 28, 2014 Beautifully arrayed around a circle of pale sole filled with salmon mousse, shrimp, scallops, and crawfish (or a mixture of the best fresh seafood available to you locally) are a tribute to the bounty of the sea. Two small side notes: tourneed mushrooms […]
Dentelle Croustillante
Serving: 6 Print Dentelle Croustillante By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 The name means “lacy cookie,” but it only partly describes these chocolate wafers, which are filled with pistachio cram and served in a sea of chocolate sauce. Ingredients Chocolate Cookies Granulated Sugar – 1/2 cup Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup, firmly packed Unsweetened Cocoa […]
Napoleon Pyramid
Serving: 6 Print Napoleon Pyramid By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 These spectacular pyramids of crisp glazed pastry, chocolate mousse, and raspberries not only look fabulous; they offer a classic flavor pairing. The plate is mirrored with glossy chocolate and caramel sauces beneath the triple-deck dessert. Serve this after a simple meal, or by itself […]
Duck Confit & Potatoes Sarladaise
Serving: 4 Print Duck Confit & Potatoes Sarladaise By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Cooked slowly covered in herbed fat, this duck is moist and tender. The surprise with meats prepared this way – confit – is that they are neither greasy nor fatty. This is a very old method of preparing and preserving meat, […]
Pear Flan
Serving: 6-8 Print Pear Flan By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Golden pear slices fan across pastry cream in an equally golden tart crust. Almonds add crunch. The traditional way to present the pears on this tart is to slice them into halves, then slice each half into many thin crosswise pieces. The pear halves […]
Crawfish Beignets
Serving: 28 Print Crawfish Beignets By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 A wonderful twist on New Orleans’ traditional “little bathers,” bits of fried pastry usually consumed with powdered sugar and plenty of strong coffee. Chef Bonnot’s version is a hot appetizer, pastry filled with crawfish tails and quick-fried. Ingredients Flour – 1 cup Baking Powder […]
Lobster Soufflé
Serving: 2 Print Lobster Soufflé By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 In classic French tradition, golden puffed lobster soufflés arrive at the table nestled in cornucopias made of white linen napkins. Only a fork is needed to eat this lovely soufflé. This recipe seems very long. You are preparing and breaking apart two lobsters, and […]
Cream of Garlic Soup
Serving: 8 Print Cream of Garlic Soup By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Creamy and smooth, this soup distills the taste of garlic. Chef Bonnot includes his recipe for chicken stock; if you already have chicken stock you like, use your own. Ingredients Unsalted Butter – 4 tablespoons Onions – 2, sliced Garlic – 4 […]
Salade Tiède
Serving: 4 Print Salade Tiède By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Bright greens are drizzled with a combination of bacon drippings, red wine vinegar, and raspberry vinegar, then tossed with croutons. This is a good excuse to show off big, fat croutons, toasted golden brown. Ingredients Bacon – 1/4 pound Walnut Oil – 1/2 cup […]
Redfish en Croute aux Deux Mousses
Serving: 4 Print Redfish en Croute aux Deux Mousses By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Like coulibiac, this dish arrives at the table as a golden puff pastry shaped and decorated like a fish. Opened, it reveals pink (salmon) and green (spinach) mousse sandwiched between fillets of Gulf redfish. Other fish may also be used; […]
Oysters Béarnaise
Serving: 6 Print Oysters Béarnaise By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Here’s a fresh spin on oysters baked in their shells. These are baked in scooped-out potato skins and topped with sauteed onions and leeks and bearnaise sauce. Ingredients Red Potatoes – 3, large, unpeeled Unsalted Butter – 2 tablespoons Leek – tender green, mid-section, […]
Cream of Black Widow’s Web (Black Bean Soup)
Serving: 4 Print Cream of Black Widow’s Web (Black Bean Soup) By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Hearty black bean soup is traced with a spider’s web of sour cream for a wonderful first course. This soup could also be made in larger quantity and served as the main course. Ingredients Black Beans – 1 […]
Dracula’s Bite of Delight (Chocolate Mousse with Caramelized Pastry)
Yield: Two 6-inch-by-12-inch sheets of puff pastry Serving: 4 Print Dracula’s Bite of Delight (Chocolate Mousse with Caramelized Pastry) By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Ingredients Granulated Sugar – 2 cups Puff Pastry – two, 6-inch-by-12-inch sheets Chocolate Mousse Swiss Chocolate – 1 pound, chopped Egg Yolks – 2 Chocolate syrup – 1/2 cup Heavy […]
Picked-Fresh-on-Full-Moon-Graveyard Salad
Serving: 4 Print Picked-Fresh-on-Full-Moon-Graveyard Salad By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Ingredients Vegetables Zucchini – 2, green Yellow Squash – 2 Beets – 4 Vinaigrette Red Wine Vinegar – 3/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – 2 cups Shallots – 4 medium, finely diced Salt – 2 teaspoons Pepper – 2 teaspoons Garnish Pecans – 2 […]
Roasted Baby Bat (Stuffed Quail on Dusky Rice) Daniel Bonnot
Serving: 4 Print Roasted Baby Bat (Stuffed Quail on Dusky Rice) Daniel Bonnot By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Stuffed quail is wrapped in “bat wings” (cabbage leaves) and served on a bed of wild and brown rice. Slices of andouille sausage — a smoked sausage — are used to create “ears” on the “baby […]
King Trout’s Mummy
Serving: 4 Print King Trout’s Mummy By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Trout “mummies,” wrapped in phyllo dough shrouds, are served on catafalques made of flash-fried parsley and pink grapefruit sections. Grapefruit beurre blanc naps the sections. Both the trout dressing and the beurre blanc are accented with Ricard, an anise-flavored liqueur. The parsley and […]
Witches’ Cauldron Soufflé
Serving: 4 Print Witches’ Cauldron Soufflé By Great Chefs May 27, 2014 Small pumpkins turn into cauldrons to hold soft pumpkin soufflés. Blood-red strawberry puree decorates the plates around the pumpkins. Dim the lights and use lots of candles for the right atmosphere. Ingredients Baby Pumpkins – 4 Water – 2 cups Brown Sugar – […]