Charles III and Camilla will be in France from September 20 to 22. The state dinner at the Palace of Versailles in their honor will be a nod to Queen Elizabeth II. The meal will be prepared by big names in French gastronomy.
The reception of Charles III and Camilla at the Palace of Versailles was carefully prepared for many months. The demonstrations against pension reform in March had disrupted the plans of the Élysée and Buckingham who had planned this state trip at the same time.
According to France Bleu, this state dinner will be “a nod to Queen Elizabeth II.” The Queen and her husband Prince Philipp had lunch in the famous Hall of Mirrors with President René Coty in 1957 on the occasion of their first visit as monarchs to France. King Charles III will therefore imitate his mother on September 20.
If the choice of Versailles may annoy certain detractors of Emmanuel Macron, the Élysée told La Dépêche that this choice “responds above all to a wish of Charles III, “sensitive to the idea of ??following in the footsteps of his mother “, and a desire to “make France shine” through one of its most prestigious sites”. A concert will be given in the royal chapel of the castle before dinner. Three English composers will be performed: Purcell, Blow and Handel.
For this meal, the State pulled out all the stops. To highlight the remarkable Sèvres porcelain which will adorn the service, big names in French gastronomy have been commissioned by Fabrice Desvignes, the chef of the Élysée kitchens. The only three-star French chef in France, Anne-Sophie Pic, was responsible for preparing the starter. The title? “Locker crab and blue lobster, fresh almond veil,” revealed the chef to Le Point.
In the smallest details, “the almond veil will hide an almond and sake panna cotta topped with a creamy crab cake and a lobster salpicon. Everything will be seasoned with a dash of chartreuse mint gel , a variety with a slightly peppery taste, and a cold white butter sauce, also flavored with sake and almond alcohol. On the veil will be placed a brunoise of melon and a medallion of lobster.”
The guests will be spread over a single table 60 meters long. “It’s a rare choice, but at least there will be no disappointed people, everyone will be at the table of the King and the president,” explained Fabrice Desvignes to Paris Match. The setting of this banquet will be carried out thanks to loans from the Mobilier national with bronze sculptures dating from the 18th century. A brand from the LVMH group will offer a handbag to Camilla who will also receive an original edition of “Contes de Perrault”.
Yannick Alléno will take over for the dish. Also triple-starred, the chef based in Courchevel will offer poached Bresse poultry, marinated in champagne for two or three days with an extraction of roasted corn for seventeen hours. This dish will be accompanied by a porcini gratin. Master cheesemaker Bernard Antony, who supplies 130 restaurants and has a total of 195 stars according to France 3, was tasked with making a cheese platter: a Comté Grande Garde, a Pélardon, as well as a Stichelton, a 100% English blue cheese.
Brigitte Macron is at the origin of the choice of dessert according to Paris Match: she asked Pierre Hermé to revisit one of his iconic creations, the Ispahan. One of the most renowned pastry chefs in the world will therefore offer a thin layer of macaron with a compote of cooked and raw raspberries and two sorbets, one with lychee and rose and the second with raspberry.
