Reducing the consumption of meat, for some, the challenge is painful. For these carnivores, reluctant to separate completely from their favorite steak, and now commonly known as “flexitarians”, the start-up Beyond Meat therefore offers a steak cooked with “plants”, vegan, without soy or gluten, imitating the texture and the taste of a beef steak. But is the promise kept?
We submitted it to the palace of Thomas Dufour, chef of the restaurant Ébauchoir in the 12th arrondissement in Paris and co-author with Grégoire Kalt of the book "And if we ate less meat" (Marabout, 256 pages 29.90 euros) .
The composition
When handling the product, the chef finds it difficult to hide a certain disgust. Looking behind the product, his eye gets lost a little in the list of ingredients. Because after the main foods: pea protein, rapeseed and coconut oil, potato starch, various additives are added to the recipe. A total of 18 entries appear on the label.
“There are several additions, notably stabilizers. We see that there is coconut oil, it is not really a virtuous product ”, comments Thomas Dufour, who also wonders about the carbon footprint of the product, directly imported from the United States. “We can hope that one day it will be made in France. "
Beyond Meat has just announced the construction of a factory in the Netherlands for the European market. "In the meantime, it's always better than an Argentine beef," he notes.
The aspect
Make way for unpacking. The juicy aspect of the steak reassures the chef, but the pout remains doubtful. "It looks a bit like the food of cosmonauts," he snarls. The game is far from won for this burger, still sold almost 30.80 euros per kilo at Monoprix (nearly 50% more expensive than organic minced meat from the brand). Once out of their plastic tray, the two pale pink patties stand. Even when Thomas Dufour pushes in the blade of his knife.
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"It's a bit soft, but it's rather positive, because it presages a pleasant texture after cooking," he says. The chef ventures to taste the raw steak first. A few seconds pass and the verdict falls. "We wouldn't want to make a tartare of it," he says.
The cooking
The chef therefore heats a pan, puts a good dose of butter and a sprig of thyme before throwing the steak in. "We give him preferential treatment," he smiles. First observation, the product does not hang and above all does not disintegrate. "It sucks a lot of fat, but it's quite equivalent on a meat steak." On the packaging, the cooking time indicated is three minutes. "We don't really know if we want to eat it rare or not," quips the chef. The second burger will go to the plancha, with a drizzle of olive oil, where it more easily takes on colors.
Taste
We leave the kitchens for the restaurant room. The two steaks have slightly browned and the pink dress is a little gone. "When you look at McDonald's steaks, they're a lot more gray than that," said the chef, plate in hand. Once at the table, and at the first bite, we read on the cook's face a certain surprise. "It's nice to eat. There is a good texture and a chewy feeling. It is not dry, it is juicy unlike others that I have already eaten, ”enthuses Thomas Dufour. "But it's quite disturbing not to know what we eat," he regrets.
Perfumed, the Beyond Burger steak is far from tasting of meat, as promised by its manufacturers. "We're more on a taste of vegetables," notes the chef. Vegetarian, I agree. Despite the early hour, several restaurant employees stick their forks in the steak and make the same observation.
But after a few bites, the palate is a bit tired. This is where Thomas Dufour takes us out of his secret boot, a harissa sauce flavored with rose, which this time, everyone agrees.