They ate crusts of it, before reaching the final of this unusual competition: 11 North American chefs were able to present to a jury, at the beginning of October at the Nelligan Hotel in Montreal, their interpretation of pâté-croute (also called pâté en croute), as part of the subcontinental final of the world championship dedicated to this dish. Combining various meats, jelly and, depending on taste, other ingredients, all coated in a flaky layer, this traditional French dish is known to be very technical to concoct, requiring two days of preparation.
The candidates worked hard before submitting their best recipe to the experts, who evaluated each piece anonymously. And it was a hot fight between four competitors from Quebec (including Arthur Muller, from the Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec), a trio from Ontario (let’s name Karly Ready, from The Gate), three candidates from the United States – officiating in New York, Kingston and Philadelphia – as well as a representative from Saskatchewan.
Their ammunition? Pork in a mess, duck foie gras and breast, veal shank, pheasant leg, pistachios, morels, figs, dried apples marinated in Calvados, to name only a fraction of the ingredients incorporated in the compositions.
Speaking of apples, they never fall far from the tree, since Thomas Joly, proud son of a charcutier, and today behind the Toledo stoves in Montreal, won this North American final with his pâté-croute called “Le Little Prince”, combining free-range pork, canned mularde, duck foie gras, guinea fowl, pheasant, sweetbreads, white poultry pudding, chanterelles, Sicilian pistachios and duck pâté with red port. The chef is thus propelled to the grand final of the international championship, scheduled for December 2 in Lyon, where he will go with the firm intention of “bringing the Cup home”.
The winner was followed by the New Yorker Arthur Dehaine, from the restaurant Daniel, who took the second step of the podium and won the “Elegance Prize” awarded to the most beautiful presentation, while the Montrealer Mathieu Couture, of the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, came third.