Anniversary: The Macallan celebrates its 200th anniversary
The Macallan celebrates 200 years of history with an exceptional whisky, offered in a limited edition in a Lalique decanter hidden in an 800-page almanac.
Press photo / The Macallan
The legendary whiskey distillery The Macallan celebrates its bicentenary this year.
To all honor, it is to its founder, Alexander Reid, that the Scottish house pays homage through a limited edition.
In mid-February, it unveiled an exceptional whiskey, produced by Euan Kennedy, its “Lead Whiskey Maker”.
This single malt from the 1949 vintage was bottled in 2022. “Featuring subtle red hues that reflect the original meaning of Alexander Reid's surname in Scottish - The Red One - this whiskey has incredible complexity achieved through aging and a slow maturation”, specifies the man of the art.
The precious burnished oak colored liquid is offered in a handcrafted Lalique crystal decanter.
Scenes from the life of Alexander Reid are finely engraved there, like the first lines of this “Once upon a time” that the project tells.
Because tasting The Macallan whiskey is always synonymous with an experience.
From the first sip, you are as if teletransported to Speyside, opening wide the doors of the Easter Elchies estate distillery.
Aged in wooden barrels from Jerez de la Frontera or Kentucky, the house's great classics (Double Cask) offer a wide range of bouquets, from the freshest (12 years old) to the richest (30 years old). .
The 200-year-old bottle is also hidden in a unique almanac, the work of London bookbinders Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe and Zaehnsdorf and Imprimerie du Marais.
Will this new edition break records as was the case in November 2023 when a 75 cl bottle of Macallan 1926 was sold for 2,187,500 pounds sterling (2.5 million euros), by Sotheby's?
It had become the most expensive bottle of whiskey of all time.
IB
To discover
Download the Le Figaro Cuisine app for tasty and authentic recipes
Tales of The Macallan Volume II, limited edition of 344 copies.
Price upon request.
The meeting of the week: the return of Top Chef
The jury for season 15 of Top Chef.
Screenshot Instagram / @m6officiel
Top Chef is making its big comeback.
This March 13, Stéphane Rotenberg kicks off the fifteenth season of the television cooking competition.
An anniversary season distinguished by its exceptional jury, bringing together 15 stars, and bringing a breath of fresh air to the competition.
Thus, in addition to the faithful Philippe Etchebest, Paul Pairet, Hélène Darroze and Glenn Viel, two talented chefs are added to the panel of judges: Stéphanie Le Quellec, big winner of season 2, double starred for her restaurant La Scène, and Dominique Crenn, the only triple-starred woman in the United States.
For the first time in the history of the competition, the chefs will form two brigades: a first male, the gray, composed of Paul Pairet, Glenn Viel and Philippe Etchebest, and a second female, orange, bringing together Hélène Darroze, Dominique Crenn and Stéphanie Le Quellec.
The secret brigade, the parallel competition which gives a second chance to eliminated candidates every week, will this year be guided by multi-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire.
A unique season, marked by innovative events, like a competition taking up residence on the legendary train whose menu is piloted by Jean Imbert, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
To be discovered from March 13, on M6, at 9:10 p.m.
A.M.
The address of the moment: Frangins, a dining cellar in the 11th arrondissement of Paris
In terms of innovation in catering, two brothers from the south of France took the challenge of opening an establishment at the crossroads of a dining cellar, a wine bar and a restaurant.
Nestled in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, this place of life called Frangins houses a cellar, cradle of a selection of French wines identified from small producers and maintained in perpetual evolution by the two brothers.
“The idea was to break the simple reading of a wine list.
We wanted to have a dedicated space in which customers can take the time to choose what they are going to drink,” explains the youngest, Martin Deshayes.
On the plate, we discover French cuisine, simple and well executed, like the sliced pork belly, candied celery root and celery stalk as a starter, or the Landes duck breast a la plancha , new potatoes and mustard, honey and walnut sauce, as a main course.
A warm, family address, born from a common passion for good products.
A.M.
Frangins, 26 bis rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris.
Tel.: 06.62.41.98.49.
The book to discover:
England
by Sarah Lachhab
The England
book
brings together 60 specialties that go beyond clichés.
Éditions de la Martinière / Press photo
With this new work, Sarah Lachhab takes us to England, beyond the clichés, to discover a warm and gourmet gastronomic landscape.
To the rhythm of 60 recipes revealing the traditions of our British cousins, we discover the traditional
Cornish pasties,
these croissants of shortcrust pastry garnished with meat and originating from Cornwall, the
steak and ale pie
, this beef stew pie of medieval origin tasted at the pub, or
derbyshire oatcakes
, these oatcakes from the East Midlands that we enjoy for breakfast.
A work at the crossroads of a recipe book and a report, in which we meet the producers, cheesemakers and master cider makers who shape the gastronomic landscape of England.
A.M.
England, Tea, Piccalilli, Pasty
, by Sarah Lachhab and Aurélie Bellacicco, Éditions La Martinière, 192 pages, €27.00.
The unmissable trend: the “cookie” or cookie-croissant
We know the
cronut
, a fusion between a croissant and a donut, the
brookie
combining a brownie and cookie dough, or even Cédric Grolet's cookie pizza, whose name speaks for itself.
These days, the new hybrid pastry that’s driving TikTok and the Parisian culinary scene into a frenzy is a
croookie
, the combination between a croissant and a cookie.
An innovation by Stéphane Louvard of Maison Louvard, an establishment halfway between a bakery and a brasserie, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
Into a cooked pure butter croissant, he slips a generous amount of cookie dough, closes everything, then tops the dough creation.
A second round in the oven and you obtain a somewhat bizarre result ready to be eaten, with an almost raw cookie dough.
In the mouth, the adipose marriage of these two pastries composed mainly of butter is, not without surprise, sickening, although the balance between sugar and salt is controlled.
A true sacrilege for some, an idea of genius for others, regardless of opinions, audacity pays off, because the
cookie
is a dazzling success, making its entry into the windows of a growing number of French bakeries.
A.M.
Boulangerie Louvard, 11 rue de Châteaudun, 75009 Paris.
Tel.: 01.81.70.75.77.
At the Ritz, Marcel Proust will bring spring
On the threshold of spring,
François Perret's new chocolate creation, in homage to Marcel Proust.
Photo Emanuela Cino
He probably didn't go to bed early.
Ritz Paris pastry chef François Perret reveals a dizzying new creation in homage to Marcel Proust.
Very elegant and called
On the Threshold of Spring
, it takes the form of a book whose cover consists of a double dark chocolate shell filled with praline and a crunchy crumble, and the 6 interior pages of white chocolate.
It is a tribute to Marcel Proust, and his
Easter Holiday chronicles,
published in 1912 in
Le Figaro
.
The author of
La Recherche
, one of the first guests of the Ritz since its opening in 1898, wrote there for long hours, observing the comings and goings of guests.
In his chronicles which celebrate the arrival of spring, the author honors hawthorns.
A passion for these flowers that he had in common with Marie-Louise Ritz, wife of the legendary hotelier, César Ritz.
Hawthorns, like Proust's famous madeleine, revive the senses and the distant emotions of the writer.
You will have to wait until March 18 to read and enjoy
On the Threshold of Spring
.
SL
On the threshold of spring
, by François Perret, Ritz Paris, €192.
Pre-order from Monday March 11 on ritzparislecomptoir.com.
On sale from Monday March 18 in store.
Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, 38 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris.
Éric Frechon leaves Bristol
Éric Frechon bids farewell to Bristol.
After 25 years at the heart of the Parisian palace, the three-star chef announced his departure from the kitchens on Tuesday February 27.
The best worker in France was at the helm of the gourmet restaurant Epicure, and 114 Faubourg, the chic brasserie of the luxury hotel.
At 60, he explains his decision by his desire to discover new territories, but not only that.
“I am happy to be able to devote myself more to the other establishments that I support to continue to help them grow, while allowing me to spend more time with my family,” he said in a press release.
Undisputed master of French gastronomy, Éric Frechon is the only starred chef to have spent so many years in the kitchens of a Palace.
Over the years, the chef has left an indelible mark in the Bristol kitchens through the installation of his chocolate factory, his workshop dedicated to the know-how of pasta, his mill, or his cheese cellar.
He will leave the establishment for good on April 15.
SL
Le Bristol Paris, 112 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris.
Tel.: 01.53.43.43.00
The good idea of the season: a raclette machine for 12 people
A long raclette machine, capable of holding 12 pots.
Livoo / Press photo
Who has never had to bring together two raclette machines for 6 for a large dinner party?
The Livoo brand has thought of large families and groups of friends by designing this appliance throughout, which includes no less than 12 pots and 12 spatulas.
Beyond saving space, we appreciate its two removable non-stick trays, whose large surface area allows you to grill quantities of vegetables (onions, peppers, zucchini, etc.) or bacon, for meats.
Its low price, €59, makes you want to invest, while the raclette season is still in full swing.
CM
Raclette machine for 12 people, Livoo, €59.
On sale on https://www.livoo.fr.