It was his fifth and last visit to France.
On June 6, 2014, a State dinner was held at the Élysée Palace in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A major event on the occasion of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
François Hollande, then President of the Republic, had entrusted Guillaume Gomez, chef at the Élysée for twenty-five years, with the heavy task of imagining the menu.
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On the cover of the menu, the engraving used a hundred years ago during the visit of Edward VII, a Marianne embracing the French and English flags.
Elysee Palace
Elizabeth II imposes foie gras at the table
On the program for this grandiose evening?
A dinner placed under the sign of French haute cuisine, the opportunity to promote local products and French know-how.
Naturally, foie gras is on the menu, France being one of the main producing countries.
Only then, the leader faces a dilemma: Prince Charles has banished him from his residences.
The decision is made, an exception will be made: it will be the queen herself who will select the menu, a first at the Élysée Palace.
Fond of French gastronomy, the monarch opts for the product originating from the South-West, a Périgord duck foie gras in Sauternes jelly, a traditional sweet wine from the Bordeaux vineyards, all washed down with a Château d'Yquem, vintage 1997 .
Read alsoNo pizza and burgers without bread: the curious eating habits of Elizabeth II
The work of producers on the front of the stage
This is not the only French product that Guillaume Gomez wanted to highlight that evening.
As a main course, it will be a lamb from Sisteron.
This is good, the sector is experiencing a period of great difficulty at this time.
Elizabeth II was therefore served a baron of lamb from Sisteron with spring flavors, flanked with small vegetables from the garden and accompanied by a Château Haut-Brion vintage 1990. A recipe to be found in the chef's book published in 2020,
At the table of presidents (1)
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Elizabeth II: a popular queen
On the cheese side, it was Nicole Barthélémy, from the Barthélemy house in Paris, who had the task of selecting the goat cheeses, Comtes, Camemberts, Reblochons and other Roqueforts.
Finally, for dessert, a dessert with an evocative name, but on which we do not have more information, made its debut in the room: “Summer sensation”.
A final sweet note, enhanced by a Pol Roger champagne from the Cuvée Winston Churchill.
What close, with panache, a trip to France.
(1)
At the table of presidents
, by Guillaume Gomez, Ed.
Le Cherche-Midi, 232 pages, €39.00.