Cédric Burtin in 5 dishes
At Saint-Rémy, Cédric Burtin pays delicate homage to his Burgundy roots. The chef reveals five dishes that he believes perfectly represent his world.
in Saint-Rémy, in the heart of Burgundy, Cédric Burtin weaves a delicate bond between terroir and creativity in his double "toqué" restaurant. This discreet, passionate chef explores his culinary universe with precision, balance and emotion. Meet him through five dishes that tell his story, his roots, and the milestones of his career.
His proudest dish: Trout, beurre blanc and fir oil, smoked cream with trout roe
It's a dish that plunges you into the heart of nature, like a stroll along a river lined with fir trees. Cédric Burtin imagines the trout in its native environment, drawing inspiration from its habitat, its diet and the plant life that surrounds it. Around this delicate fish, he composes a plate of great subtlety, where fir-tree beurre blanc, vegetable oil and a smoked cream made with trout roe meet. It's a perilous exercise: several gustatory elements, several sauces, but only one common thread - balance. A dish that is precise, inspired and deeply mastered, reflecting the chef's sensibility.
The dish that marked a turning point in his career: Foie gras, balsamic emulsion
Beneath its apparent simplicity, this dish marks a profound upheaval in Cédric Burtin's career. Before the pandemic, cooking had insidiously turned into a job. "I'd never felt like this before," he confides. The confinement, by slowing down the frantic pace of daily life, offered him a salutary breath of fresh air - time to refocus, to give meaning to his gestures, and above all, to rediscover the passion of his beginnings. The result is a foie gras with balsamic, visually uncluttered, yet strikingly complex aromas. "I realized that I shouldn't necessarily seek too much complexity in the visual, but rather aim for balance," he explains. The dish becomes a manifesto of this new approach: getting back to basics, without ever giving up on high standards.
A tribute to a memory: Childhood canapés
Cédric Burtin loves the region where he grew up: Burgundy. raised on a Charolais farm, Cédric Burtin pays tribute to his roots right from the start of the meal, with a host of amuse-bouches revisiting Burgundy classics. Beef tartare, tartelette gribiche, oeufs meurette, snails like the ones he grew up with... it's all there. Even the hay-smoked butter, sculpted in the shape of a straw bale, is a tender nod to his father, a former stockbreeder. "We smoke our butter with hay from his farm. it reminds me of my childhood", says the chef.
The dish most popular with customers: Artichoke pie
A 100% plant-based dish that gets people talking. "A lot of people are asking how we do it," smiles Cédric Burtin. It has to be said that this tart, glazed with a vegetable juice worked like a meat juice, surprises with its depth. The artichokes are rolled out in fine shavings, in a play of textures as delicate as it is inventive. The total absence of animal protein does nothing to detract from the aromatic richness: in fact, it's what most intrigues diners. A signature dish, acclaimed for its finesse and boldness.
The latest creation: Fountain char and shellfish
As the sun rises, so does the desire for iodine. Here, the chef composes a dish between lake and sea, pairing brook trout with shellfish. The balance is delicate:"The char is fine, so it mustn't be washed out," he explains. A broth-sauce coats it, subtly acidulated with oxalis, while skin powder reinforces the fishy flavor. To open the dish, a small marshmallow made from the bellies greedily prepares the palate. A daring, light, local creation.
