MONTREAL – It’s a menu fit for royalty – and it’s being prepared by royalty, too.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will feast on dishes that highlight Quebec’s culinary culture and local wines when they visit a renowned cooking school in Montreal this weekend.
Prince William and Kate are going to help make the meal, professors at the Quebec Tourism and Hotel Institute said Thursday.
The pair will receive a cooking jacket and apron courtesy of the institute and are expected to spend about 40 minutes working – or about 10 minutes at four different stations in the kitchen.
Items on the menu of the four-course meal include Quebec foie gras on a toasted brioche served with apple cider jelly, loin of Charlevoix lamb, and Iles de la Madeleine lobster.
Dessert will be a white cloud – likened to a fresh cheesecake with maple caramel, feathery meringue and biscuit.
Extra care is being taken to ensure that the royals sample local products.
“I was told that William really liked chocolate,” quipped pastry chef Yves Petit. “I love chocolate too, but it doesn’t grow in Quebec.”
To whet the regal palates, each course is complemented by selections from Quebec wineries.
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Staff were brushing up on royal protocol Thursday. Chef Pasquale Vari said the professors plan, as always, to be “kings of their kitchen” while still being respectful.
Vari said he thought the royal couple would want to have a good time. He said their visit will be less stressful than when a renowned chef drops by.
“They’re not here to judge us or to evaluate us,” Vari said.
“They’re here to have fun. They want to have fun during the cooking lab and they want to eat.”
A group of three chefs and nine student apprentices have been preparing for a few months for the couple’s visit. The buy-local plan was hampered by an unseasonably cold and rainy spring.
“We finalized the menu yesterday. We spent the morning at the market and picked out all the garnishes,” said Vari, who will prepare the appetizers, entrees and main course with fellow chef Jean-Louis Themis and six apprentices.
“The spring this year was long and a little late, so the season is a little bit different compared to what’s usually available this time of year.”
The lobster souffle is by request.
Somewhere along the way, the chefs were told the couple either liked souffle or wanted to learn how to make one.
“We’re crossing our fingers (that) when they see the souffle, they’re going to go, ‘Wow’,” Vari said.
Every item on the menu received the green light from the Royal couple’s handlers and from Canadian government officials, including the always-controversial foie gras.
“We had no restrictions whatsoever – in terms of allergies, vegetarianism – at the royal table,” Vari said.
“We have backups in case someone (in their entourage) is allergic to lobster, or seafood.”
The institute is trumpeting the exposure but also the immense challenge facing the students and staff picked for the assignment.
One of those students, 20-year-old Nathalie Des Rosiers, says she’s more excited than nervous about being near royalty.
“The lamb that we’re using is out of this world and the lobster souffle, I’ve never seen (it) on a menu before, so I’m really excited about it,” said Des Rosiers.
“Everything has been done to the best of what we can do.”
Prince William and Kate are to dine with Quebec Premier Jean Charest and his wife Michele. The premier and his wife are said to also be taking part in the cooking course.
The couple will be given a gift box containing four porcelain plates by a Quebec artist.
While they dine, a protest by Quebec sovereigntists is expected outside. At least a pair of demonstrations are expected during the royals’ two-day swing through the province, where anti-monarchist sentiment runs high.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly referred to Charest’s wife, Michele, as Micheline.
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