This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
It was believed to have disappeared or been confined to a few outdated restaurants in the Lyon region. Well no ! Over the past ten years, the pâté croute, one of the most famous — and complex — charcuterie specialties of French culinary heritage, has once again made its way to the kitchens of chefs, on social networks and in the mouths of numerous foodies worldwide. Such a renaissance deserved to be honored in Quebec as well, as confirmed by the very first Pâté Croute Fest and the North American final of the World Pâté Croute Championship. Small portrait of a classic brought up to date.
To understand the true value of the pie, also called pie, you have to delve into its rich history. It was born in medieval times, when to preserve food, the French only knew techniques of smoking, drying and cooking. To keep all the less noble parts of the meat that we hunted, we mixed them with herbs and seasonings, then we surrounded them with a crust, originally inedible, before putting this preparation to cook. long hours. “It was a bit like the ancestor of sous-vide cooking, with chimneys cut into the surface of the pâté to expel the air and prevent the meat juices from dripping onto the dough,” says Grégory Faye, executive chef of Hotel Place d’Armes in Montreal and current winner of the Elegance Prize at the World Pie Crust Championship.
Over time, the recipe for pie crust has been refined, to the point of making it in the 18the century a true gourmet work of art. To be convinced of this, just think of the Oreiller de la Belle Aurore, the impressive pie crust of the magistrate and gastronome Brillat-Savarin, which contained more than ten different game and poultry, pork and veal stuffing , black truffles and duck foie gras.
The pie has long remained essential on large tables, until the agri-food industry discards it for obvious reasons of productivity. But this flamboyant dish had not said its last word. In 2009, a few diehards decided to dedicate a world championship to him, an event that quickly gained popularity everywhere, the Japanese having even won it three times. So much so that today, the Instagram feed of many chefs, but also of amateur cooks, is full of photos of pâtés.
The world of crusters
Why does the pie crust arouse such passion? “Because it pushes us to constantly surpass ourselves, technically and creatively,” says Yoann Van Den Berg, a chef who worked in major European kitchens before moving on to Europea, Le Fantôme and Le Pastel in Montreal. . During the pandemic, while researching take-out menus, he came across a video of Grégory Faye and produced a first pie, which he made him taste and comment on. Then he got caught up in the game and started producing it every week to improve his skills, notably alongside pastry chef Olivier Potier.
“The pie is an incredible dish to prepare! he throws. It brings together three professions: that of baker and pastry chef for the dough, of butcher for the stuffing, and of cook for the broth that is transformed into jelly. It’s a real trip cook, but I assure you that it also has a wow effect as soon as you introduce it to people. I made two for my wedding, and they were a hit! »
Grégory Faye will not contradict him. For his part, he had already rubbed shoulders with this specialty at the age of 17 in the context of a competition, but it was somewhat by chance that he rediscovered it. “I had prepared a pie for the birthday of one of my daughters, with an insertion of carrots in the shape of a candle. It made me want to do it again. It didn’t take much for him to become a fan of this dish, for which he represented Canada in 2019, then in 2021.
“You get a little psychotic with the pie,” he admits. We work on it for dozens of hours, we take it out of the oven and, there, we see faults that we want to correct. We always want to strive for perfection, even if it is impossible. But the pie also represents a lot of pleasure, a network of solid friendships and a pleasant surprise as soon as it is served, because it is a dish of great elegance. The chef also added a sliced pie crust starter to the Brasserie 701 menu two years ago in order to introduce it to his customers.
A festival and a contest in Quebec
The organization Chefs Canada, which for several years has sponsored the teams for the World Pâté Croute, Pastry and Bocuse d’Or Championships, took advantage of the holding in Montreal, on October 17, of the very first final North American pie crust competition to create a festival around this speciality. About fifteen establishments (restaurants, hotels, food artisans) in Greater Montreal and Quebec City have, for the occasion, made a special pie that they offer to their customers.
Gourmands can also get a ticket to attend the final itself – tasting included – which will take place at the Hotel Place d’Armes. On site, fifteen competitors from Quebec, Canada and the United States will present their creations to an international jury with the hope of being selected for the world final in France.
Yoann Van Den Berg will be one of the candidates for the precious sesame. He even put the opening of his new restaurant Les Mômes on hold to prepare for the big day. “I’m going to present a traveling pâté crust between Switzerland and Quebec, with in particular Chartreuse for the meats and the jelly, and cranberries in the stuffing”, he explains. The rest of the ingredients as well as the decoration are state secrets, of course. But we are almost certain that this creation will live up to the gourmet and technical decadence represented by the famous pâté croute, which has not really ceased to amaze us.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.