Chef Maxime Rizo is the new world champion of hare à la royale

We are in Romorantin, in the heart of Sologne, land of hunting and game. 8 candidates for the title of royal hare world champion listen to the final instructions from the man who created the competition, Thomas Boullault.

International competition

This Solognot by birth, lover of game, is a starred chef at the restaurant L’Arôme, in Paris, and he is happy to see that his competition has become international: “Yes, this year we have set up a pre-selection in Japan and Canada, on the same scoring criteria as here. We have candidates from Canada, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.”

Known throughout the world, the royal hare was born because Louis XIV had a tooth disease, which he lost one after the other. And as the king still wanted to eat the game he was going to hunt on his land, we prepared this hare for him, cooked for hours, even days… It’s a legend!

A powerful and delicate game

Olivier Nasti, 2-star chef in Alsace, is the president of the jury: “It’s an extremely technical dish, very tasty, of great French tradition. It’s a strong and powerful game, but so delicate in tastes and flavors. And that’s all the subtlety of the chef in the kitchen that makes the difference.”

We understand, it’s impossible to make your own royal hare at home. It requires perfect mastery and a lot of time: up to 7 days of preparation in certain restaurants. How, then, should we judge the candidates?

Jérôme Banctel, 3-star chef in Paris, is a member of the jury: “For any long cooking, like here, the sauce is extremely important. So the criteria are the choice of wine, the choice of the liaison – instant or long – the harmony between the chewiness of the meat and the sauce.”

A classic that should not be touched

The winner this year is Maxime Rizo, from the Relais de la Poste in Magescq in the Landes: “I love cooking this dish, but also eating it! It took me 4 days to prepare it, from the hare we receive to taking out the plate. It’s a classic that shouldn’t be touched. “

Maxime Rizo is ahead of the chef from Japan, Keisuke Shibata, from the Silver Tower in Tokyo. A legend.