Pierre Gagnaire in 5 dishes
The emblematic Pierre Gagnaire, a member of the Gault&Millau Academy, takes a look back at the dishes that have marked his career and his culinary universe.
A leading figure in French gastronomy, Pierre Gagnaire (5 toques and member of the Gault&Millau Academy) is a poet of the plate, an explorer of taste and a tireless creator. His path, marked by audacity and visceral loyalty to his culinary identity, has influenced generations of chefs. through five creations, he confides in us about what forged his career, his inspirations and his emotions.
His proudest dish: the pocket cocktail
Even before the meal begins, Pierre Gagnaire sets the bar high. What is he most proud of? A " pocket cocktail composed of six small starters ", served as an appetizer on the à la carte menu. An idea born of a memory: " I was inspired by what I had seen at Alain Chapel's, who offered three small salads on his menu. "This culinary preamble is constantly changing with the seasons. "It' s absolutely essential that they be well linked to the season," insists the chef. More than an amuse-bouche, this "pocket cocktail" is a declaration of intent, a manifesto of his cuisine in miniature: multiple, precise, intuitive.
maki Manoukian
A turning point in his career: cuisine d'auteur
Pierre Gagnaire has no signature dishes, but a vision. What made him stand out was not a specific recipe, but " the spirit of [his] cuisine ". A spirit that the famous critic Henri Gault perceived and defended with enthusiasm. i never did anything to please them," he says, "but what I did corresponded to the spirit defended by Henri Gault and Christian Millau. "A cuisine that was " lively, creative, joyful and impertinent ", according to Pierre Gagnaire. " They put words to culinary emotions. They created envy by describing what they ate at the table. I used and abused this freedom. "But if the chef refuses to talk about a specific turning point in his career, one memory remains engraved: " I jumped to the ceiling when they wrote that Lenôtre had better watch out, because my chocolates were exceptional. "
A tribute to a memory: Le Rouge
In his memory, a dish with vibrant, deep, powerful colors: Le Rouge, a tribute to the Chinese painter Zao Wou-Ki, a customer of the restaurant in Paris in 1996. The dish combined Palamós prawns and red beet in a blood-red, purple, violet composition. " For me, it was a tribute to the soul of this painter whom I adore. "Served for a year and a half around 1998, Le Rouge is no longer on the menu, but it remains a vivid memory for the chef: an edible painting, a vibrant tribute to art and encounters.
Customer favorite: declinaison of langoustines
Although Pierre Gagnaire rejects the concept of a "signature dish", there are certain dishes that leave a lasting impression on the palate. One of these is a variation on a particular product: langoustine. " We were among the first to create variations on a single product. "Tartar, consommé, royale, dim sum, grilled, pan-fried in butter: the langoustine becomes a chameleon and crosses the decades, reinventing itself without ever betraying itself. " A dish that stands the test of time, but evolves through the years. "
His madeleine de Proust: chocolate soufflé
A classic, an evidence, an eternal sweetness. For Pierre Gagnaire, it's the chocolate soufflé. A dish discovered in a book that has become a totem for an entire generation: " I'm not a great reader of cookery books, but like every chef of my generation, I read the Guide Escoffier carefully. "That's where he came across the recipe for the soufflé omelette, which he transformed into a chocolate soufflé cookie.
maki Manoukian / Jacques Gavard
This dessert has been part of his career since the very beginning: " It's the only dish that has remained on the menu since 1981. It's evolved a little, but it's absolutely simple and people like it. "A faithful, unvarnished sweetness, like a red thread in the career of a chef in perpetual mutation.
