The "President", a fifty-year mandate
A Bernachon signature, this generous cake topped with a flight of chocolate was so named by Paul Bocuse fifty years ago. For this anniversary, the legendary dessert returns for the first time this autumn to the very place where the legend was written: the Élysée Palace.
The "Président", an inseparable part of the Bernachon chocolate factory in Lyon, was christened on February 25.vrier 1975, the day Paul Bocuse was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. The event marked a turning point in the recognition of "Monsieur Paul" as the pope of gastronomy, and launched the future "Chef of the Century" into international orbit.
The President emerges from the shadows
On February 25, 1975, French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing presented the award to Paul Bocuse. Aware of the cultural influence of the burgeoning young gastronomy scene, the President understood the importance of receiving Monsieur Paul at the Élysée Palace. In a minor revolution, the chef took charge of the meal "between friends" for 14 guests. Served at the Élysée, the meal was washed down with vintages from the palace cellars. In the kitchen, Pierre and Jean Troisgros, Michel Guérard and Roger Vergé each prepared a dish. As for Paul Bocuse, he reserved the desserts for himself, as well as the starter, announced as "truffle soup". The broth, served in a soup tureen topped with a puff pastry, has gone down in history, with Paul Bocuse's famous advice: " L'on casse la croûte, monsieur le Président" ("Break the crust, Mr. President ").
For "desserts", Maurice Bernachon, a friend of Paul Bocuse, stepped in. The chocolatier is also the father of Jean-Jacques Bernachon, husband of Paul Bocuse's daughter Françoise. But Bernachon's signature does not appear on the menu. " My maternal grandfather, Paul Bocuse, took all the credit," says Philippe Bernachon, Maurice's grandson. we'll see..." - as was often the case for menus in those days, explains the current manager, along with his two sisters, of the Lyon-based chocolate factory.
"At the last minute, Paul Bocuse suggested that Maurice prepare his cake, the Montmorency," named after the Morello cherries used in its composition, with a sponge cake soaked in cherry liqueur and a gianduja ganache." My paternal grandfather made the three-kilo cake, for 20 people, in Lyon ", with its characteristically fragilechocolate shavings made on an " enormous machine, which requires a real helping hand ", and had it transported, all ready, to the Élysée Palace. There, as a tribute to their host, Paul Bocuse gave it the name "Président", under which it has been made ever since.
A lighter, revisited "Président
The "Président" remains Bernachon's best-selling cake. The recipe has been reworked and lightened in both sugar and alcohol.philippe Bernachon had a custom-made cherry alcohol made by the Crozet Frères distillery in the Monts du Lyonnais, " to sublimate the cake, without making it alcoholic ", and to enhance the flavors of the candied white periwinkles from Bessenay now used. The chocolate, "a house blend of a dozen or so origins, remains unchanged: we're looking for fi nesse, not power". To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the "Président" will be featured in the chocolatier's Paris boutique, opening in 2019.
But above all, he returns to the Élysée Palace until November 15, in an individual version, in the new boutique and café area of Maison Élysée, opposite the palace in Paris. This is quite an adventure, as the shavings machine is untransportable. Prepared in Lyon, the gourmet icon will be delivered by Philippe Bernachon himself, who will be on the road. There's no question of damaging the "President's" airy chocolate toupee!
