The winner of the egg mayonnaise competition in Champagne is…

D.R.

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For this second edition of the Champagne egg mayonnaise competition, organized in partnership with Maison Charles Heidsieck, the jury, chaired by chef Philippe Mille of the restaurant L'Arbane, awarded the prize to Calvin Richard of the restaurant Le Millénaire! A brief look back at this event, which celebrates the hearty, rustic cuisine of our beloved Parisian bistros. These establishments, as early as the 19th century, were able to invent the very first "fast food" without abandoning traditional local flavors.

Stephen Leroux, CEO of Charles Heidsieck Champagne, immediately set the tone: “We partner with a number of Michelin star awards ceremonies worldwide, but we also like not to take ourselves too seriously. Egg mayonnaise is something that's in our blood. It's the art of doing simple things with seriousness.” For his part, Pascal Glorian, representing the Association for the Preservation of Egg Mayonnaise, the competition's organizer, praised the excellent quality of this year's entries. “The goal when we founded our association was, to support bistronomy, to revive the egg mayonnaise. We all ate an egg mayonnaise when we were young, made with an overcooked egg and industrial mayonnaise, topped off with a sad little lettuce leaf. Today we can see how far we've come since then!” The one who finally won the prize for both the pairing with the Charles Heidsieck Rosé Réserve and for the best egg, is a very young cook, Calvin Richard, who works under the orders of chef Benjamin Andreux at the restaurant Le Millénaire in Reims.

His background? “I was born in Champagne. It was my grandmother who instilled in me a love of cooking, from the age of five. Since then, I haven't wanted to do anything else. I completed a vocational baccalaureate at the Gustave Eiffel high school in Reims, after which I spent a lot of time searching for my path. I worked in many different restaurants, from fine dining to bistros, including some in small villages… Finally, I think I've found my perfect place at Le Millénaire, a Michelin-starred establishment where I truly feel at home. If I had to sum up the spirit of this restaurant, I would say that we practice a constantly evolving cuisine, with only people who are eager to learn. From the kitchen assistants to the chef, we all share the passion to always do better! We are a relatively young team, and we all push each other to improve. We enjoy ourselves every day.”

As for the recipe, "an egg in a vine leaf," Calvin Ricard was kind enough to reveal its secrets. "The inspiration? It's the Champagne region. My family owns vineyards around Crugny, behind Fismes, and I wanted to pay tribute to them. I also wanted to cut through the richness, hence the use of small pickles to add acidity. For the rest, I included everything I wanted while maintaining a balanced flavor. The egg is cooked in the traditional way before being brined to infuse the salt into the white, thus naturally seasoning it. I prepared a mayonnaise with grape must and whole-grain mustard. The idea was not to use only grape must, otherwise the result would have been far too sweet. Then I made a verjuice gel; verjuice is made from unripe grapes, which have a lot of acidity and haven't had time to develop their sugars." Then I created another gel, this time using the Charles Heidsieck Rosé Réserve. The whole thing is sprinkled with small croutons of bread with brown butter to add that little bit of crunch that can sometimes be missing from a traditional egg mayonnaise. Finally, I covered the egg with a veil that forms a sort of ravioli and is also made with the Rosé Réserve.

The quality of the eight candidates present should be highlighted:

• Geoffrey Prudhomme from Bistrot de la Poste.
• Calvin Richard, chef at Le Millénaire in Reims.
• Pablo Castro Serrano, chef of the restaurant Le Beau Lieu in Hautvillers.
• Jérémy Beauvallet, chef of the restaurant La Barbuise (located in Troyes / Voué in the Aube).
• Didier Pougeoise, head of the establishment Le Relais Saint-Michel, located in Saint-Michel in the Haute-Marne.