“There, I brown the onions and shallots in olive oil, then I add the carrots, white wine, sausage and beluga lentils. Have you ever seen ones like that? They are black and delicious, like caviar. » The question from Eric Guérin, chef of La Mare auxoiseau, one Michelin star, is addressed to Charles Caudrelier, one of the most successful sailors of his generation. The skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, from the Gitana sailing team, left its base in Lorient, in Morbihan, to come to Saint-Joachim, the stronghold of Eric Guérin, in Loire-Atlantique, three weeks before the Arkea Ultim Challenge.
The first solo round-the-world trip of these maxi-trimarans, the fastest on the planet, leaves from Brest on January 7. And this beluga sausage-lentil recipe, like the chef’s famous shepherd’s pie or roast chicken, should help keep the morale of the 49-year-old skipper high. Charles Caudrelier could no longer stand the freeze-dried meals which constitute most of the fuel used by professional sailors. “At sea, I need my mouth to water otherwise I won’t eat, explains the sailor. And there, we leave for at least forty-five days of extreme racing on hyper-demanding flying machines. »
It’s been two years since he set sail with meal bags cooked by Eric Guérin. The sailor and the chef met through a mutual friend. “Seeing all the crap that my sailor friend ate on board, I decided to make him some menus for his next transatlantic voyage, says Eric Guérin. His crew, who left in 2021, accumulated difficulties and finished dead last, but the only time they looked at each other with happiness in their eyes was when they were eating! It made me want to continue. » In 2022, the sailor won the Route du rhum by tasting, sometimes at 40 knots (70 km/h), one of his favorite dishes, rye fusilli, autumn vegetables and hazelnut pesto.
A different perception of taste at sea
Back to our dish of the day: the sausage and the rest of the preparation are poured into a plastic bag, which is vacuum-sealed. Then head to the autoclave, a sort of large pressure cooker which will canner, i.e. cook the dish for an hour and a quarter at 113°C. “This sterilization technique kills bacteria and allows the product to be preserved for a year without losing texture and taste,” specifies Benjamin Larue, Eric Guérin’s second in command. This sports-mad marathon runner is constantly looking for new processes, such as dehydrating vegetables, which would make the dish lighter without distorting it.
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