Dominique Gauthier’s truffled candy
“I always have a truffle dish in the year,” says the chef of restaurant F.P. JourneDominique Gauthier. Not out of seasonal coquetry, but out of loyalty. He “fell into the truffle pot” as a child, without having been born in a truffle-growing region. He loves truffles, that’s for sure. The reasons are not folkloric: they are its aromatic strength, its fleshiness, its ability to transform a dish without ever overwhelming it. For him, a truffle is not a condiment, it’s an essential ingredient, just like a vegetable or meat.
Whole truffle
Of all his truffle dishes, the Bonbon à la truffe created in 2003, almost by intuition, is the most emblematic. A whole truffle, peeled, surrounded by a thin layer of poultry stuffing with Gruyère cream, rolled in truffle bits from his own peelings. The whole thing is gently steamed, en papillote, at 80 degrees. Then served on a buttery, truffled celery risotto, discreet and deep.
In 2004, this dish earned him the title of “Chef of the Future” awarded by the International Academy of Gastronomy. A title that has taken him on the road, to Spain, Paris, to the Bristol with Éric Fréchon, and to major dinners where he has represented Switzerland. Still the same sweet, round, simple in appearance, with a redoubtable precision.
Today, the Bonbon à la truffe is no longer on the menu. Too expensive, too precious. It appears as a suggestion, for those who really want to taste it, not just to photograph it. Why “bonbon”? Perhaps because of its shape. Perhaps because it’s swallowed in a single bite. Maybe because candy is a symbol of childish indulgence.
Chardonnay in harmony
At the F.P. Journe restaurant, the Bonbon à la truffe imagined by the chef finds a natural echo in the selection of Bogdan Tand, who seeks above all wines capable of accompanying the truffle without overpowering the taste. For this delicate appetizer, the sommelier favors rich, silky, mature whites, with notes of butter, hazelnut and undergrowth that interact with the aroma of the tuber. Right now, he’s highlighting a Rully Premier Cru from Domaine Saint-Jacques, signed Christophe Grosmougin: “a Chardonnay that’s both full-bodied and precise, enveloping the sweet without overpowering its finesse”, says the sommelier. For curious palates, he also likes to suggest marsannes or roussannes from the Northern Rhône region, or even slightly oxidative wines, whose complex nuances prolong the truffle in the glass. All that’s left to do is…
