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Considered a traditional delicacy, the pâté croûte is one of the most difficult dish of French gastronomy. Amalgamating the talents of the best cooks, bakers and charcutiers, the chefs participating in the World Cup need to master all three elements to succeed. The final result? A pie filled with ground meat, vegetables, aspic, herbs and spices.
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPETITION
This unique global competition is designed to help preserve a centuries-old, French culinary tradition once at risk of extinction—the artful preparation of Pâté Croûte (literally translated as, pie in crust). Precise recipes and ingredients vary regionally and also differ based on individual wisdom and whimsy but the dish is usually comprised of layers of chopped meat and other fillings (with aspic, almost used as glue) encased in a decorative, puff pastry crust. (Centuries ago, before refrigeration was ubiquitous, the protective crust was used only to preserve the meats inside and wasn’t consumed.)
QUALIFICATIONEvery year participants from all over the continent compete at the North American Pâté-Croûte competition, a qualifying round for the world finals. The two top finalists will travel to Lyon, France to present their own interpretations of the classic.
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Writing in the French daily, Le Figaro, journalist Maurice Beaudoin points out the complexity of preparing a high-quality Pâté en Croûte, which requires that chefs not only be a master butcher but also possess formidable skills as pastry chefs and cooks, too.
“The process of preparing the dish took two days, from preparing the pie dough and charcuterie, and preparing, cooling and filling the pie with gelée,” says 2019 Americas first-place winner Christian Welch.
“The process of preparing the dish took two days, from preparing the pie dough and charcuterie, and preparing, cooling and filling the pie with gelée,” says 2019 Americas first-place winner Christian Welch.
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