A new year gives most of us another chance to get it right (though a little older and wiser), and marks a new beginning for others, like starting a better lifestyle and following a healthier route. And where the world is moving towards a new order of people having a healthy and balanced routine, most look to the Swiss (I thought Mediterranean, but let’s stick with the Swiss for now) for their healthy retreats and quality of life approach, not to mention their tantalizing food offerings. With 2018 just around the corner, I had Chef Dominique Gauthier, of the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Chat Botté at Beau-Rivage Geneva, share with us his tips on how to be mindful with food, yet creating indulgent and healthy dishes in the kitchen.

Create Healthy Dishes Just Like they do at Beau-Rivage Geneva

Healthy Fat and Right Produce

when cooking a dish and selecting produce, Chef Gauthier advises that it is always better to cook with olive oil than any other fat. Also, if we must use butter, it should be raw butter, not cooked. When selecting produce, it is always better to choose fruits and vegetables from local garden products and select the organic ones if possible. As for creating seafood dishes, he advises selecting wild-caught fish over the ones raised in fish farms (if you can).

Seasoning is Everything

Le Chat Botté restaurant at Beau-Rivage Geneva is famous for its Mediterranean dishes (told you), no wonder Chef Gauthier’s seasoning tips are all about adding fresh zesty flavors and fresh herbs. The Chef’s tips for seasoning are to use all kind of citrus fruits such as finger limes, yuzu or kaffir lime/combawa to add freshness to the dishes. He also advises using all kinds of root vegetables such as nasturtium roots or black radishes. When creating festive dishes, the ultimate advice is to use black or white truffle, and incorporate mushrooms in your dishes whenever you can.

Cooking Right is About Technique

When it comes to cooking techniques, the Chef’s advice is to take your time and use steam cooking or low-temperature cooking for the dishes. For example, to make a very tender fish, you can cook it in an olive oil bath at 55°C. It is very healthy as well to eat wild-caught raw fish, a revelry for all sushi lovers. His recommendation for a nice dish would be wild-caught marinated raw fish with a selection of raw vegetable-shavings and finger lime.

DON’T MISS: Chocolate Combos That Will Take You to Another Level of Deliciousness

And if you cannot bring yourself to follow these simple tips from the good Chef, you can always pop in at Le Chat Botté restaurant at Beau-Rivage Geneva, and get a good helping of an indulgent and healthy dish; and get a taste of how it is like to be healthy like the Swiss.

Images courtesy of Le Chat Botté – Beau-Rivage Geneva.