Prix Goncourt 2024, at the Drouant table
The Prix Goncourt 2024 is accompanied by an exceptional menu created by chef Romain Van Thienen, perpetuating a gastronomic tradition of the highest order.
Le Drouant restaurant, a Parisian culinary bastion since 1880, continues to make history by hosting the Prix Goncourt jurors. This tradition, established by Colette, president of the prize until her death, imposes a menu consisting of a crustacean and a game dish.
Tradition: feather or hair?
For 2024, the game chosen is a gray partridge. The chef transforms it into a flaky pie with Duroc poultry and pork meat, enriched with Colonnata bacon and foie gras. Dried figs and chanterelles complete the stuffing, surrounded by Pontoise cabbage. Candied and fried legs add a delicate crunch. When cut, the fillings blend harmoniously into the pie, releasing complex flavors.
A tribute to crustaceans
The chef also honors Parisian écaillés. The menu includes a revisited seafood platter: praire au citron caviar, moule à l’escabèche, marinated carabinero, bulot-mayonnaise and Prat Ar Coum oysters. A shellfish reduction based on crab and lobster meat, served in a cocktail glass, evokes the American influences of the 1920s.
Cheese discoveries and iconic desserts
The tasting continues with Brie de Meaux, prized since Charlemagne and Louis XIV. Virginie, affineuse at Drouant in Montmartre, offers a classic version and a black variant, refined to the max.
For dessert, the chef combines Parisian classics in a unique creation: baba au rhum, Saint-Honoré, opera and Paris-Brest. Each element – cream, hazelnut and soaked cake – is harmonized on a graphic plate, reminiscent of Miró’s art.
Also read: Kamel Daoud wins the Prix Goncourt 2024 for “Houris”.
