The chef of Foodies, in Dijon, competes this Wednesday, March 30 for the French Cup for the best burger. Kevin Muin welcomes us to his downtown restaurant to let us taste his recipe.
He is the only representative of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to have been selected in the 2022 selection. Kevin Muin, who started as a pastry chef at Foodies before becoming restaurant manager, will be in Paris on Wednesday March 30 for the French Cup for the best burger, at the Palais des Expositions, Porte de Versailles. On the eve of the competition, we find him at the restaurant in downtown Dijon, between Les Halles and Place du Bareuzai, to taste this burger which will be, perhaps, the best in France.
The idea: the competition imposes the theme “Globe-trotter”. Kevin Muin therefore chose a Caribbean recipe“since Charles, one of my bosses, worked quite a while in Saint-Barthélémy, and my second boss Julien lived in Saint-Martin for ten years. I wanted to pay them a small tribute, make a small dedication to them.”
The cook also wants to offer a burger “easy to eat”, a little less bulky than the recipes usually offered at Foodies.
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First of all, the bread: a puff pastry bread, with potatoes, nicely colored thanks to turmeric, flavored with lime and topped with a cracker. “It’s going to be super light, the flaky side is going to crisp up nicely.“The most important detail: “There is a little butter in the recipe, and this butter was smoked in a smoker, two-three hours, with sawdust to bring a “barbecue” side.
Then, the garnish: avocado, finely cut, “to bring a little fat and sweetness“. A curry-mango sauce and a light mango coulis, “just to pep up the recipe a bit“. Fried plantain slicesand some herbs: parsley, dill.
“The little find of this recipe is the mango pickles.“ Pickles: an ancestral recipe that is coming back into fashion, especially in major cooking shows in France. “It’s the same principle as pickles, it’s our grandmothers’ recipe: sugar, vinegar, water. We put everything to boil, let it cool before plunging our vegetables into it. We close hermetically and let macerate. Originally, the technique made it possible to preserve food longer. In this recipe,it brings a little vinegar, acidity“.
The central element of the burger: the steak. Steaks, rather: Kevin Muin prepares two per burger, of the steak “very fat, 20% fat“, which he will “smash”, crush on the hot plancha so that the meat caramelizes. All topped with a slice of smoked cheddar, picked up at the Dijon cheesemonger at the Chalet Comtois, a stone’s throw from the restaurant.
Instead of the traditional bacon, the chef chose smoked bacon : “It is typical of the West Indies. The boucan designates the houses in which they smoke meat, fish, bacon. It gives a smoky, tasty, very salty, peppery and spicy bacon.And the final touch: dog sauce, a typical West Indian sauce. “Carrots, onion, garlic, herbs, all macerated in a spicy oil.“
On Wednesday, Kevin Muin will have 25 minutes to prepare four of these burgers, which will then be tasted by the jury. Before reaching the final, he will first have to pass the regional selection, since the competition is divided into five major regions. The Dijonnais is part of the North-East region. In his last participation in 2020, he won the regional selection, before finishing fourth in the France final with his burger inspired by a beef bourguignon. “In 2020, I had mismanaged my time and finished very early, I think the jury did not like it.“If he wins this year, Kevin Muin hopes to bring ‘visibility’ to his restaurant.”The winning recipe is featured in catalogs and professional magazines. And this kind of event, with the media coverage around it, also allows us to bring in new customers.“
As for the burger itself, it’s not on the menu right now. “But we will surely put it back after the contest“, promises Kevin Muin. A little more patience then, if the recipe made you want! At the writing of France 3, in any case, it is validated.
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