individual whom both the Culinary
Institute of America and France’s
Gault-Millau Guide have named
Chef of the Century: Paul Bocuse.
What an achievement!
Now, let’s get back to our luncheon.
Hervé had arranged this luncheon for
Sherrie Wilkolaski and me. We drove
four kilometers north of Lyon; the
Paul Bocuse Restaurant backs up to
the banks of the Saône, near the
Pont de Collonges. It is open every
day of the year. I don’t know what I
expected, but I was overwhelmed by
the colorful welcome. Both Sherrie
and I were struck by the tributes to
h oo i on a
ia hi an
a
ar
When we stepped inside,
the restaurant exceeded my
expectations. I am not new to
three-Michelin-star dining, but this
was more than I could have imagined.
After we ordered, but before the
kitchen got busy, we were able to
tour the kitchen with Chef Gilles
Reinhardt. It was buzzing with
activity and we were delighted to
have this opportunity. Our threehour-plus luncheon was one of the
o t r a in an n oya
r
I’ve included photos of our dishes, but
I knew I had to order the Soup with
Tr
r t r a a r ion o thi
r i in
an n oy th r
t
But that was not like trying the real
thin Thi arti ar i h a r at
in 1975 for the president of France,
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, and his wife,
at a luncheon given at the Élysée
Palace. Several Michelin-star chefs
were in attendance when Mr. Bocuse
received the Légion d’Honneur on that
occasion. When I saw the soup on the
72
menu, I was ecstatic. Because I wanted
to be sure I included the correct
translation, I purchased the book, My
Best, by Paul Bocuse, with the recipe
rint o t Th o
a i in
ith Tr
es
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30mins
Cooking time: 30mins
Drink Pairing: Bollinger R.D. 1990
champagne, a Frédéric Émile
Riesling vintage 2001 from the
Trimbach domain, or a sherry.
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
5½oz (150g) skinless
chicken breast
table salt
3½oz (100g) celeriac
Heads of 8 button mushrooms,
1¼ inches (3cm) in diameter
3oz (80g) fresh truffles
¼ cup (60ml) white Noilly Prat
2oz (60g) cooked foie gras
9oz (250g) store-bought flaky
(puff) pastry
1 egg yolk
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Bring stock to a boil in saucepan.
Lightly salt chicken breast and
place in stock. Leave (sic) it
simmer for six minutes, then drain.
Put the stock for the soup aside.
Peel the celeriac and the carrot.
Cut the celeriac en matignon (first
into ½ inch (12mm) slices, then
into dice). In the same way, cut the
carrot en matignon (first into ½
inch (12mm) slices, then into dice).